


Level 9

by DetectiveWilde



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, F/M, Gen, Love, Murder, Mystery, Police Procedural, Romantic Fluff, Serial Killer, Slice of Life, Suspense, Thriller, ZBI, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16263365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveWilde/pseuds/DetectiveWilde
Summary: When a killer strikes Zootopia, dedicated to a strange and perverted sense of justice, Judy and Nick are drawn into a case unlike anything they've seen in their many years as detectives. Inspired by older murder mystery novels, this will be a darker take on our favorite cop duo. A bit of Wildehopps, but with a focus more on the detective work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first piece of written literature that isn't for a class. I'm having a blast writing it, and hope to update weekly on Wednesday's, however I do work full time so I apologize in advance if that doesn't happen. Huge shout out to Whatabummer and Calidain for editing my gibberish and helping me bounce ideas around. And of course, I do not own anything zootopia related.

Prologue 

“Have you already sent the file on the Braden Lynx case over to Precinct 4?” Detective Nick Wilde asked, glancing up from a stack of papers to look across the desk at his partner. 

“Sent it off an hour ago,” the rabbit said absentmindedly. “Officer Ryan confirmed he had received it.” 

Judy Hopps looked up from her computer as she finished typing, watching as the fox signed a few final forms. 

Time sure had passed since she’d first met the fox, she noted. His fur, while still vibrant and bright, had begun to take a bit of a silver tint to it - especially around the muzzle, and had thinned just enough for the rabbit to begin to easily see a few of the scars he had received in the line of duty. Along his left cheek she could easily spot a thin ragged line marking where he had been cut: a quick slice from an angry horse, but nothing serious enough to stop the fox from making the arrest. 

She herself had her own battle scars from a long career as an officer of the ZPD. It wasn't surprising, as the scars were just as much a part of the job as the tedious paperwork. Recently, however, the signs of aging were obvious on the bodies of the pair of detectives, as well as seen on the walls of Precinct 1. The bright sandstone was as much a rich testament to the city as ever, but the inside had started to fade, the interior walls having grown muted and dim. The desks of the officers, long ago laid out strategically according to size to keep the department safe and operating efficiently, had spots of rust and chipped paint along the sides. 

The partner’s desks were face to face, tucked into a back corner of the ZPD ground floor. Judy's desk was orderly, with minimal clutter; a metal pen holder sat under her computer monitor, right next to her purple stapler and matching 3 hole punch. On the other side of a computer montier was her desk phone and a black “file in and file out” holder. A simple 3 picture photo frame sat in front of the holder, containing photos of her family and partner. Fond memories that gave Judy solace and comfort

Across from the rabbit's desk was Nick's desk, not exactly unorganized, but definitely covered with a lot more clutter then Judy's. A mug on his desk held the various pens and pencils he used, proclaiming him to be ‘The world's okayest Fox’. It had been a graduation gift from Judy after completing his time at the academy, and she was surprised at how much the fox had come to treasure the joke gift. It had stood the test of time, stained slightly with ink, and a chip on the lip of the cup, but still in tact - not unlike the fox himself. 

To the left of his mug was a small palette that read ‘Hopps family farm’ on the side, the wood stained blue from the blueberries that had once been shipped in it. Inside the palette was a neat stack of papers that still needed to be sorted through. Nick's computer moniter itself held a number of sticky notes around its face, reminding him to make phone calls or check on details in specific case files. A photo of Judy and Nick from the fox's graduation day sat on the far left of his desk, right next to a bullet that he had taken in his shoulder from a case a few years back. The final touch of Nick Wilde charm came in the form of two small figures right beside his desk phone: one of agent Fox Mulder, and one of Diana Scully, the fox and bunny duo who Nick refers to as Hollywood versions of himself and Judy. 

The fox closed the file that was spread across his desk, stretching out, and cracking his back, nodding as he glanced back at her. 

“Officer Ryan…..was he the Bobcat that helped us with Devenshire murder investigation? He had the really funny looking stare, almost like you weren't sure he was retaining anything being said to him.”

A ballpoint pen easily found its target in-between the foxes ears, smacking his forehead. Judy had years of practice to perfect her aim.

“Be nice Nick!” the rabbit replied with a grin, her foot tapping in a mixture of anger and amusement. 

The fox rubbed the spot on his head where the pen had landed, leaning back in his chair and laughed, “Well … you aren't disagreeing with me.”

“Am I disagreeing with you? No. No, I am not.”

“See,” the fox protested. “You're just as guilty as I am, rabbit.” 

“I have no idea what you are talking about. I am innocent.” Judy stood up, walking over to the printer and grabbing a set of freshly printed pages , stapling them together. 

“Innocent my ass,” Nick mumbled with a smile. 

A comfortable silence settled over the partners, a silence familiar to them in their 14 years of service together. A span of years that had seen them quickly rise through the ranks to become detectives in the Homicide and Robbery Division of Precinct 1.  
Judy half listened to Nick, one ear swiveling away as her keen hearing made out the sound of footsteps approached from behind. She turned in her seat and greeted an approaching otter with a nod, “Officer Riley! What are you doing in our neck of the woods?” 

The otter offered a pawshake, giving a slight shrug as he replied, “Ah, I was just here to drop off the first responders report for you on the Lynx murder. I know I could have emailed it, but I wanted to also thank you for how you handled my bit of a breakdown at the scene. I went through training but I still wasn't prepared for how brutal it was to see for myself, you know?” the officer looked away, his paws fiddling with his tie. 

“There is nothing to be sorry for,” Judy replied softly. “You know, you handled it better than I did for my first homicide. I thought the Savage Mammals case was rough, but that first homicide left me out back, upset and sick to my stomach.” 

Nick laughed as he crumpled a sheet of paper, tossing it into the wastebasket next to his desk. “She's being too nice on herself. Ever see a bunny try to vomit and cry at the same time? It ain't pretty,i can tell you that much!” 

“Well it was a better sight than your first homicide, Wilde.” Judy shot back. 

“Who me? I held myself with grace I'll have you know! I'm the epitome of composure.” 

She let out a chuckle.

“Sure. The grace of a fox with his head stuck in a trash can. It made a very fashionable hat, and it looked like a very uncomfortable pillow once you passed out. Let's not forget that you had to buy Bogo a new set of shoes as well.” She said, turning back to the otter. “Point is, no one handles their first one well. We try and prepare for it the best we can, but it still shocks you to your core, and that's a good thing. It means you have compassion and are a good mammal. You never truly get used to it, but you learn to let those feelings callous over. They're still there, every homicide we go to affects us, but we've learned to view the job in a way that we can catch these people and bring justice to those that have passed, and that makes it easier.”

The otter nodded, contemplating the older officers’ words. “Thanks Detective Hopps. I'll let you guys get back to work.” 

The pair waved as the otter left, turning back to their work. Nick glanced at his watch, huffing as he picked up a stack of papers, sliding them into his “to do” basket. 

“Okay, I think it's time to call it, Carrots. Time of death, 6:35pm.” the fox groaned and spread out in his chair, his tongue hanging out, clutching his chest.

Nodding her head in agreement, Judy smiled and started to save her work, exiting out of her computer and shutting it down for the night. She stood and walked around the desk to her partner’s side. 

“Clear!” the bunny shouted, bring her paws down onto the fox’s chest, rocking him in the chair slightly. 

“I think we can revive him doctor! Quick, get this fox some food! We can save him!” she giggled. 

Nick laughed, sitting up and kissing Judy's cheek. 

“Pawflix and pizza tonight? It's been too long of a week to think about cooking ...” the fox said as he stood up, gathering his belongings. 

“That sounds perfect. Any suggestions for what to watch?” Judy asked, picking up her coat and walking with Nick towards the exit of the first precinct, her paws typing delivery instructions into her phone.

“Honestly anything that doesn't require much thinking. You can put on some reruns of Friends, that's always good to get a few laughs,” he replied, giving a lazy wave to Officer Delgato as they passed his desk. The pair exited the building and continued to make light conversation as they headed home. 

The route to their apartment was fairly short, passing by a few of Zootopia’s older buildings. The signs of wear and tear of aging were not limited just to the precinct. The city itself had changed since the duo had started so many years ago. The bright, vibrant city now seemed to be washed in a coat of grey, its’ alleyways dark, and the sky dim. It certainly didn't help that winter was creeping in, just off the cusp of a crisp October. A sudden cold chill made Judy pull her coat tighter, and the clouds loomed above their heads. Nick quietly pulled her closer to him, his arm wrapped around her as they walked, giving her a gentle smile as they turned down their street. 

 

“I'm not saying that pineapple isn't good, what I am saying is it doesn't belong on a pizza,” Nick said, setting the pizza on the coffee table of their apartment, and sinking heavily into his usual seat on the sofa. 

Judy and Nick’s apartment was modest, but cozy, and most importantly it was located just a few blocks away from the station. It was located on the top floor of a small modern apartment complex, with large windows and a gray exterior. 

The interior walls of the apartment were painted a light lavender, a color picked out by the fox because, as he put it, “it reminds me of my Carrots.” The living room hosted a comfortable leather couch and a recliner large enough to fit two, both facing a generous sized TV and filled entertainment system. Behind the living room sat a modest sized open kitchen and dining room, outfitted with well used cooking tools and stainless steel appliances. The walls of the kitchen were painted a light brown, decorated with various coffee art pieces and knick knacks the pair had found through the years. 

On the far side of the rested a large sliding glass door that lead to a small patio with a gorgeous view of the city center. Sitting on the patio was two lounge chairs on either side of a small wooden table, as well as a grill on the far left side of the patio. Judy's small garden on the right side flourished, with a few bright flowers and, of course, a blueberry bush, placed in colorful pots. 

“And I'm not saying you're wrong…Well actually I am saying you're wrong because you're wrong.” 

Judy flopped onto the couch, and swiveled to put her feet across Nick's lap to lie across the length of the couch. From her relaxed position, she took the last slice from the box, taking the remote to start on another episode of friends. 

Nick placed his paws on Judy's feet, rubbing them softly as he rolled his eyes, a paw lifting to point at himself. “I'm wrong? No no no, you see, you're taking sweet pineapple, and putting it on a savory Pizza. You are making an abomination. An abomination! It's a worse abomination than anything else created in history. It's the devil's work!”

“An abomination? You're an abomination. It adds a textural variety to the pizza that you can't find anywhere else. Plus the sweet pineapple mixed with the tangy tomato sauce is just amazing,” Judy said as she took a bite, nodding in satisfaction. 

“Growing up in the country really messed with your head. I'm sure the on duty shrink at the station can help! I'll make you an app-”

BBBZZZZTTT. BBBZZZZTTT. 

BBZZ BBZZ 

“Ah crap…..” The loud buzzing of both phones ringing effectively shut down any further conversation. Judy tossed Nicks phone to him, shrugging with a small smile as they sighed. 

“Well, I think we're in for a long weekend,” Nick said, before both getting up, heading towards the bedroom to get dressed as they each answered their phones. 

“Wilde here.”

“This is Detective Hopps.” . 

“We'll be there shortly.” Nick finished, sliding a white button up shirt on before tossing his phone back on the bed. He fastened the buttons, and shouldered his holster into place. He reached down and frowned, turning towards Judy as he walked out of their bedroom.

“Hey Carrots, have you seen my-”

Judy tossed Nick his badge as she finished sliding her coat on, her own badge clipped on her hip next to her weapon. 

“And that's why I love you,” the fox chuckled as he clipped his badge in place on his belt, giving it a quick shine with his sleeve. 

“That's the reason why? Because I keep track of your stuff?”

“That and you're a good kisser.”

Judy smacked his shoulder as she gave an amused chuckle. “Get moving Fox.”

Nick walked forward and opened the door, pausing as the two mammals glanced at each other, letting out soft sighs as they took a moment to prepare to head back into the dark night. They were both tired, something neither tried to hide as their eyes met, but they took strength in each other.

“Ready to make the world a better place?” Judy asked, holding a fist up for Nick. 

“Always am sweetheart,” he responded, bumping her first before stepping out of the apartment, heading towards a darkness that was unknown to them.


	2. Fire and Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, an update! I'm going to try and update every Wednesdays, but forgive me in advance if I fail. Huge shout out to Whatabummer and Calidain for taking my terribly written words and editing them into a readable story. I should probably just list them as co-authers at this point! Feel free to comment on the story! 
> 
> I still own nothing. It all belongs to the mouse

Judy unlocked her tablet, pulling up the files that she had received. She studied the information in it, her nose twitching in concentration as she bit her lip. “Do we really need to stop to get coffee?” she asked impatiently. “We have a crime scene to get to, and I’ll be fine.”

Nick's ears swiveled towards her, his paws gripping the wheel with a tired gaze. “No you won’t - we just worked a 10 hour day, and are heading right back into the field. Ms. Lang won't become more dead in the 10 minutes it'll take to provide ourselves with some caffeine.”

Judy gave a small huff in mild agreement, scanning the file as Nick drove. The air in the car was warm, a deep contrast to the frigid night outside. “So, any theories bouncing around in that head of yours?” she asked.

“Well,” Nick said after a moment of thoughtful silence. “Our victim’s a 32 year old 11th grade English teacher. I'm thinking she pissed off some author by making the students pick apart their work and look for symbolism where there wasn't any. You know, maybe said something like, ‘Oh, the curtains in the main characters room are blue, so the author is symbolizing how the main character is always depressed’ but in reality the author just liked blue.”

Judy looked up from the tablet and stared over at Nick, clearly puzzled. 

“That may or may not have been an actual argument I had when I was a Freshman.” Nick said sheepishly, putting the car in reverse to park it in front of the Cafe. 

“Wait hold on a second,” Judy said, her voice mockingly serious. “You actually went to school?”

“Ouch!” Nick said, a paw clutching at his heart in feigned injury. “That’s a low blow, Carrots.” But the smile that tugged at the edge of his muzzle belied any real offense at the rabbit’s jest.

“Past experience aside, Nick, I highly doubt it was a crazed author that killed her; there's no listed spouse, but that doesn't rule out an angry ex,” Judy said as Nick brough the car to a stop.

The rabbit stepped out of the car and pulled her coat tight around herself, shivering, the warmth of the car quickly being sliced to ribbons by a chilling gust of wind. A faded sign above the entrance of the shop read ‘Kopi Luwak Gourmet Coffee,’ a frequent stop for the always on-the-go detectives. It was located just a few blocks from their apartment, and sat in the center of a quiet downtown street. The block was lined with other small shops and restaurants, most of which were currently closed. The dark red bricks of the café complemented the bright yellow daisies in the planters along the front, above which a neon ‘Open’ sign hung in the window. 

Nick opened the front door for Judy as they walked inside. 

“Disgruntled ex is so boring. It doesn't allow me to exercise my brain to its full potential,” he said, letting out a small sigh as the sweet scent of coffee filled his nose, his tail swishing behind him already seeming to be revitalized. 

The Cafe was quiet, with only a few mammals scattered about the few tables inside. The lighting was low and warm. Soft, vintage music played from the speakers, and various coffee related paintings adorning the walls. A few couches and low cushioned chairs were spread through the store, along with a long community table in the back. Along the back of the shop were the registers and a well lit case displaying the various pastries that were offered. The counter next to the register was lined with various bags of coffee, as well as cups and other merchandise boasting the cafes logo and name. 

“Well we can't have that! I’ll call up ZNN so we can hold a press conference to tell the murderers that they need to be more creative because Detective Wilde is getting bored,” Judy teased.

Nick grinned as he stepped up to the counter. “Aw you do love me! See it's moments like these that prove to everyone what a swell rabbit you are.” The fox turned to the worker behind the counter, nodding a hello. 

“Can I get one large Americano, no room, and whatever she wants.” 

“Just a small half-caf vanilla latte please.” 

Judy turned back to Nick as he finished paying. “It might be boring,” she said, “but at least it allows us to bring those who are murdered to justice quickly and give peace of mind to the victims family.” 

Nick gathered his change and stepped to the side with Judy, tucking the bills back into his wallet. “I'm not disagreeing with that, I'm just saying that if you absolutely have to kill someone, at least try to be original about it ,” he said, idly tossing a coin into the air and catching it. 

Judy shook her head and sighed, checking her phone for any new information as they waited for their coffee. “Oh, side note, once we wrap up this case, we need to look at taking a weekend off to go see my parents. It's been a few months and you know how they get if we don't visit.” 

Nick nodded as he flipped the coin again. “That sounds like a great idea. We could use some down time. Plus if we don't visit soon, Cottonball will figure out how to drag us out there. She's feisty for a five year old.” 

The much welcomed voice of the barista interrupted any further conversation. “Nick I have your large Americano and small half-caf vanilla latte ready for ya!” the lion at the bar said, placing the beverages on the counter as the two detectives walked over to pick them up.

Nick took a sip and let out a soft moan. “Ohhh I needed that. Snarlbuck’s got nothing on this!”

“Only the best for my favorite regulars. See ya around guys. Don't stay up to late fighting crime!” the lion chuckled as he continued his work, waving at young zebra behind the detectives. 

“Thanks Sam! Have a nice evening,” the fox waved a goodbye, opening the door and shuddering as the cold whipped around them,the warmth from the coffee shop seeming to retreat away from them and back into the shop itself.

“Anyways, you're right, Cottonball sure is feisty. I'm glad I can just be fun aunt Judy when she hits her teen years. Nate and Cyn are going to have their hands so full with her. Possibly even more so than my parents had with me!” Judy said, buckling herself in the car and inputting the address of the victim’s apartment into the GPS. 

Nick started the car, pulling away from the Cafe and followed the GPS’s directions. 

“Teen Judy would be a force to reckon with,” he said. “I can imagine all the same passion but none of the restraint or emotional stability. Huh - actually, on second thought it'd be about the same, just with more energy because you wouldn't be old.” 

“Old? Did you just call me old? You have me beat by almost a decade grandpa!” she replied, arms crossed as sipped on her latte. “And I am too emotionally stable.”

The fox laughed, glanced over at Judy, and offered his paw. “Aw Carrots, I didn't mean it like that. You’re just as beautiful as ever, you don't look a day over 18.”

“You charmer …” Judy blushed lightly and took his paw. “Don't think you're completely in the clear, you dumb fox.” Judy smiled up at her fox, knowing he meant no offense by his words. “There's parking on the right, it's the corner building. Should I look for your glasses and cane or can you do this without assistance?”

“You are one brutal bunny, you know that?” the fox grinned as he placed the car in park and stepped out. His coat whipped up from the wind as he adjusted his badge and holster to sit comfortably, taking a glance around the neighborhood. 

The intersection of Elm and 3rd was located between downtown and Savanah Central. While not a rich part of town, it was far from dingy. The buildings that lined the street were tall, about 15 stories, and made mostly of stucco and bricks, housing mid-sized mammals. A large green park capped the end of the street on the left side, and the few leaves left on the trees that lined the sidewalk rustled in the late evening wind. 

13500 Elm Street - the last building before reaching the park - stood in almost complete darkness. It seemed to be the oldest building on the block, the paint of its facade faded and chipped. The pair of detectives made their way into the lobby through a stiff revolving door, into a surprisingly brightly lit area with an old chandelier hanging in the center. The pale yellow walls gave a warmth to the building that paired nicely with the vintage looks. To the right was the leasing office, and straight ahead the pair found the elevators, with one of their fellow officers standing next to them, waiting for the detectives. 

“Detectives Hopps and Wilde. Thanks for coming out so late.” The large wolf held the elevator doors open, ushering the pair inside. “I'm Officer Frank Muller. I was one of the first responders to the scene. I have to tell you, it's a brutal one.”

Nick leaned against the elevator wall as it started to rise. “So what can you tell us so far Officer Muller?” 

“We received a call at about 10:15pm. The caller was identified as George Jackson, Ms. Lang’s next door neighbor. He works the late shift at the 7th street Grocery store, and noticed that Ms. Langs door was ajar.”

The elevator doors slid open as it reached the 4th floor,. Officer Muller pausing as he held the door open. “He knocked before entering, and when no one answered he ventured further in. Mr. Jackson found Ms. Lang exactly as she is now. So far we've done basic fingerprint dusting and documentation of the scene with photographs. The M.E. Is in the process of determining time and cause of death right now.”

The three officers walked down an empty hallway as they spoke, heading to the last door on the right with an officer stationed at the door. Officer Muller gave a quick nod to the two as his radio crackled to life, stepping away to talk undisturbed. Nick and Judy flashed their badges at the officer, stopping just inside the apartment to look around. 

It was painted a pastel blue, with a beach themed wallpaper trim along the tops of the walls. A white fabric couch sat straight ahead, with a glass coffee table placed in front of it. Behind the couch, in the corner of the living room stood a small dining table, a bowl of fruit sitting in the center. Turning to their right, past the entryway, lead into a kitchen painted soft shades of orange and yellow. As Nick shuffled through the living room, he studied the photos that lined the wall, most of which consisted of a middle aged cheetah and her family. The hardwood floors were cold beneath their feet, and the all too familiar metallic smell of blood hung thickly in the air. 

The pair headed turned left down a hallway into a bathroom on the right side. There, splayed out in the bathtub that was filled with ice, was the victim. Alison Lang’s eyes were still open, her mouth taped shut and her arms and legs bound together with rope. A single cut along the abdomen stained the ice a brilliant crimson . A tank for pressurized gas - nitrogen, if the label was any indication - lay next to the tub. 

A jet black panther stood at the foot of the tub in a medical examiners uniform, scribbling notes on her notepad. 

“What do we have here doc?” Nick asked as he stepped into the room, squatting next to the tub. 

“Wilde, Hopps,” the pantheress greeted them. “Our victim is Ms. Allison Lang - 32 and was a teacher at Fremont high - 11th grade English. Time of death is between 8-10pm. It seems from the contusion and splitting on the back of her head that she was knocked out from behind with some blunt object, and then bound and placed in the tub.” 

The panther pointed to the long slice in her stomach and continued, “The slice you see was made with one of her own kitchen knives. We found it lying on the floor. The CSI team has all that bagged and photographed already. However, that wasn't what killed her. It hurt no doubt, and unfortunately probably woke her back up, but the cause of death is actually the internal freezing of the organs. It seems the killer took a hose attached to the nitrogen tank, slid it into the slice he made, and blasted liquid nitrogen into her, effectively freezing her to death from the inside out.”

Judy grimaced a bit as she walked around the tub, noticing the stain of blood on the floor where the knife was found. “Any evidence as to who this was that did this? Fur? Paw prints?”

“Unfortunately nothing yet. No sign of blood or fur on Ms. Langs claws to even suggest she was able to fight back, and no fur strands or paw prints that we can see. Whoever did this was careful not to leave anything that points back to them. Definitely premeditated”

Judy nodded as she bit her nail, her eyes roaming the tub. She bent down to study the bandages around the Cheetah's paws, using a gloved paw to feel the material. Her eyes drifted around the body, studying the way it was positioned. “The killer filled the tub up with water, then added a bunch of crushed ice, before freezing her from the inside.”

Nick opened the bathroom cabinets, going through the medications in the drawer. “Possibly symbolic? Maybe she hurt someone and they felt like the relationship had gone cold?”

Judy looked up and stepped back from the tub. “Could also be they wanted her to suffer. Maybe they thought the ice would numbing the cutting enough to keep her awake through the freezing till she died.”

Nick picked up a few bottles from the bottom of the cabinet, holding them up. “She was taking ambien and Zoloft, so she was depressed and not sleeping possibly. We should see if we can contact her doctor and find out why she has these prescriptions. Perhaps it could shed some light on problems she was facing and who the source of those problems could be… I'm going to check her bedroom and see if I can find anything in there,” he said, placing the medications on the sink.

Judy gave him a grunt as she lifted the nitrogen tank, twisting it in her paws. She slid out a pen and notepad, writing down a serial number printed on the tank to to look up when they got back to the station.

Nick walked across the hall, pushing open the door to the bedroom. It was cluttered, the bed in the middle of the room took up most of the space. The walls were a meadow green, with a window on the right that overlooked the park. Against the left side of the bed, right next to the end table, was a large bookcase. It was filled with worn out and obviously read books, everything from old Sheepspeare plays, to classics such as ‘Catcher in the Rye’, and even some of the new popular series such as the ‘Hunger Games.’ 

Nick walked over to a large oak dresser and started to sort through her clothes, lifting the drawers out, searching for any hidden items. There seemed to be nothing except for her literal underwear, which wouldn't provide any insight into who killed Ms. Lang.

With a sigh, he closed the dresser and walked over to the night stand, starting to sort through a stack of papers. Many of them were assignments, no doubt turned in from students who would learn tomorrow that their teacher had been murdered. About half of them were graded, and Nick noticed that they were either positive or constructive critiques and remarks. Nick thought it indicative of an upbeat attitude with her students. Sitting under all the papers was a cell phone and laptop. Quickly turning both on, the fox realized they were both password protected and would need to go to their tech division to be unlocked. 

He turned to head to the closet, only to trip on a heavy chest, lying on the floor. The chest was all wood, and the top was engraved with Alison's name. He bent down and unclasped the chest, opening it with a creak. A musty smell rose from the chest, causing him to sneeze. The chest was filled with all sorts documents, letters, and official looking papers that would be better off in a filing cabinet then in a disorganized pile in a chest on the ground.

“If your going to get yourself murdered, you could at least make it easy on us,” the fox grumbled to himself, pulling stacks of papers out of the chest to sort through. 

The fox started to shuffle through the unorganized mess, setting aside any documents that wouldn't be needed, such as passports, letters from insurance companies, and a few tax documents. The last bit brought a small smirk to his face as he recalled his own dubious history with ZRS, and how it got him dragged into his first case. 

As he sorted through the papers, he came across an old document. Scanning through he saw it was dated from a little over 3 years ago. He tucked the paper in with the laptop and phone, standing up and returning the rest of the papers to the chest, before heading back into the main living room, where he found Judy. 

“Find anything carrots?” 

“Nothing that really jumps out at me as important. We have the medications she was taking that you found, as well as her appointment book that I found on the couch. Under today's date it just says ‘Lunch with Justin.’ It could be something, but we'll have to do some digging to figure out who Justin is. You find anything?”

Nick held up the phone and laptop. “Well I found these. All password protected so I figure we can drop it off at the station on our way back home tonight. Hopefully they'll have it open for us by the time we get in tomorrow. I also found this, which might give us a better idea of who Justin is.” he said, handing the document over to Judy.

“A certificate of divorce? She was married?” Judy studied the document, reading through it as her brows furrowed, her ears falling flat against her back . “Why wasn't that fact on her file?” 

“I'm not sure, but look at the date it was issued - it was a little more than 3 years ago. Your theory of a disgruntled ex is looking a bit more plausible, Carrots.”

Judy tucked the paper back into the laptop case, smirking up at Nick. “It's always the lover. Love makes you do crazy things you know.” 

“You mean like marry a fox?” Nick replied. 

Before Judy could respond, she was interrupted by a shout from the bathroom.

“Hey detectives, I have something!” 

The two detectives frowned, heading past the kitchen to the bathroom. The panther had gotten the Cheetah out of the tub and layed her with her back up onto a stretcher with the help of one of the other officers. Nick and Judy stepped closer, gasping a bit at what the medical examiner was referring to. On the woman's back, carved into her fur and skin, was a large number 3 in a circle. The cut was deep and bloody, her fur matted where the it had pooled.

“Three years after the divorce …” Nick mumbled, before catching Judy’s gaze.

“Well I'd say we should get a hold of this Justin character, wouldn't you slick?” Judy asked, her eyes unable to leave the sight of the mangled fur. 

“I'll have Clawhauser send out an APB for him. Let's get these things back to the station and see what we can dig up on one Mr. Justin Ramirez” Nick replied, shaking his head, walking away as he unlocked his phone. 

Judy stared at the mangled body, shuddering at the brutality of the murder. She stepped aside to let the photographer snap a few more photos of the carved up back, before zipping up the body bag and heading back out of the apartment. 

When Judy and Nick reached the car, the rabbit started to reach for the passenger door before she was suddenly stopped by the feeling of a warm paw on her shoulder. She turned to see Nick, who was looking at her, eyes filled with concern and worry.

“That was pretty rough, Carrots. Possibly one of the harshest we've seen,” he said, his voice low. “Are… are we okay?”

Judy looked at the paw on her shoulder, reaching up to grasp it with hers and give it a squeeze.

“Yeah,” she said with a small smile. “It's harsh. And brutal. And unpleasant. But we’re OK. Together, we're always OK.”


	3. Pancakes and interrogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the police work commence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! An update! I'm working on updating Tuesday nights or Wednesday mornings, so we'll see how well that continues to go. Thanks again to Whatabummer and Calidain for continuing to help edit and let me bounce ideas off of them. They are the reason this thing is readable! Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the story! 
> 
> I still own nothing.

Long shadows cast from the late morning sun crawled up the walls of the slowly waking apartment. Standing in front of a stove, Judy flipped the pancakes she was working on over with a small hiss. Next to her stood a bleary eyed Nick, who was watching coffee drip slowly into a pot. 

“You can't force the coffee to brew faster you know,” she said, handing him a plate with a stack of pancakes. 

Nick took the plate, giving Judy a contemplative look. “Maybe, but that doesn't mean that I can't try. Most superheros don't even realize they got their powers till they do something like that. I did get that bug-bite last week … so maybe I became a superhero overnight!”

“Oh you're super alright - super weird,” she chuckled and placed the remaining pancakes on a plate on the table, sitting down as Nick brought the now full pot over with him.

The steam from the coffee rose as he filled their cups. The fox inhaled the scent with vigor before taking a sip. “I may be weird, but you were the one crazy enough to say yes when I proposed. Any word on our APB?” 

Judy shook her head as she began to eat, unlocking her phone. “Not yet. Clawhauser said that a squad car checked on his house last night, but he wasn't there. They're stationed in front of his work now, so hopefully they'll be able to pick him up as he's heading in.”

Nick nodded as he ate, glancing at his watch. It was almost 10am, a later start to their day then usual, but they had some leeway because of how late they were up the night before. The pair were already dressed for work, with Nick in his white button down dress shirt and black slacks, with a dark navy blue tie that was united around his neck. Judy wore a dark purple blouse and black slacks, a matching black blazer hung off the edge of the chair. 

Nick's tail swished lazily behind him as he smiled at Judy. “Breakfast is amazing once again hun. I am one spoiled fox.”

Judy sat back in her chair, sipping on her coffee and grinned. “Thanks. All these years and you still have trouble with the syrup. You have a little bit on your chin slick.” She tapped her chin as he grabbed a napkin, wiping it off and shrugged. 

“They're too good to eat slow and cautiously,” he replied. 

The quiet morning was interrupted by Judy's phone ringing, a photo of her parents lighting up the screen with a Muzzletime request. She held it up, showing Nick. “Told ya they start getting antsy.” 

Nick reached over and swiped up, answering the phone call and scooted closer to Judy, allowing both of them to be in view of the camera. “Well if it isn't the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Hopps!”

Judy flipped the phone sideways to include both of them better, smiling as she waved. “Mom, dad! How is everything?” 

The picture on the phone froze for a second before the connection stabilized, Bonnie and Stu smiling at the two. The fur around Stu’s muzzle had started to fade to white, a pair of glasses sat on his snout. Bonnie's deep brown fur gave way to gray at the tips as well, the wrinkles around her eyes a bit more prominent than they used to be. 

“Hey you two! We just wanted to call and check in on you, we hadn't heard from ya in a bit.” Stu said. 

Judy grimaced a bit, nodding. “Ya, sorry about that. It's been a bit busy here, which is not an excuse. Nick and I were actually just discussing coming out to visit once we wrap up this case.”

A joyful shriek came from off screen, and a little brown bunny zipped into the room, bouncing in front of the phone. “You guys are gonna come here? When will you be here? Is it tomorrow? It should be tomorrow! I'll have mommy take me to pick you guys up!” 

Nick let out a soft laugh as he watched the young bunny practically vibrating. “Hey there Cottonball! Sadly we won't be there tomorrow, but we will be coming soon, I promise.”

The young Doe's face fell as she heard that, her ears lowering as she stopped bouncing. “Oh, okay uncle Nick.” 

“Hey now, what have we said about droopy ears and sad faces?” Nick said, pointing at her. 

“We say they don't belong on cute rabbits, that cute rabbits should have ears held high and a smile on their face,” she replied giggling. 

“Exactly, and you are the cutest of rabbit's, so no droopy ears, OK? Your aunt Judy and I will be out to visit soon, kido.”

“Will you show me some more of the card game with the red lady? I've been practicing!” 

“Nick, are you teaching our 5 year old niece how to play 3 card monte?!” Judy accused. 

“It's just a little exercise to keep the fingers nimble carrots!” he grinned, wiggling his paws. “It's harmless, and the kids love it!” 

Judy sighed and rested her head in her paw, an arm crossed across her chest. “You’re turning my niece into a mini you.”

“I'm awesome, so I don't see a problem here. Stay awesome Cottonball. I'll bring a new trick for ya when we visit, alright?” 

“Alright Uncle Nick. Catch all the bad guys! Bye aunt Judy, I love you!” the young rabbit called as she hopped away, waving at the pair. 

Judy lightly smacked Nick's shoulder. “That's for teaching her con games” she smacked his shoulder a second time. “And that's for calling her the cutest rabbit -that's my title mister.”

“No, because you are the cutest carrots that ever did live. You're on a whole different level then her,” Nick replied. 

Stu leaned in and nodded, whispering into the phone and giving Nick a thumbs up, “Good save son.”

“Oh sweet cheese and crackers, don't encourage him dad.” Judy said smiling. 

Bonnie interrupted, patting Stu on the back, “Anyway you two, just let us know when you'll be visiting. We just wanted to check in, since we hadn't heard from you in a bit and miss you. Don't be strangers! We'll let you guys get going. Behave yourselves and be safe. We love you.”

“Love you guys too.” She replied as she hung up the phone, Nick leaning over to kiss her head. 

“Come on. Any later and the Chief will start getting impatient. We have a case to solve.” Nick said, standing up and taking their dishes to the sink. He gave them a quick rinse before throwing them into the dishwasher, drying his paws off. 

The pair walked around the apartment, grabbing folders, phones, and other items they would need for their day. Nick finished knotting his tie, sliding on his black wool trench coat and grabbing his keys, holding the door open for Judy. With a quick check to make sure the door locked, the two where on their way. 

 

Nick and Judy entered the doors of Precinct 1, stopping in front of Clawhauser's desk. 

“Hey Spots! I feel like we only ever talk to you through emails and case files lately. How have ya been?” Nick said, leaning against the counter. 

“Hey you two - I've been fantastic! We need to get together sometime after work, I just tried out this new place down the street that just opened. They have the most amazing cocktails, and you'll never guess what else they have. Jalapeño and cheese stuffed tater tots. I'm telling you, your taste buds will die, OK?” the cheetah said excitedly, wiggling in his seat. 

“That's the place on Dry River and Burrows right? We were talking about that place a few weeks ago before it opened. Maybe we ça go out Friday, depending on how this case works out.” Judy said. 

“Oh right the case! Speaking of, the officers stationed outside of Ramirez’s work picked him up about five minutes ago. They'll be taking him to interrogation room 3 when they arrive, which should be in a few minutes,” Clawhauser responded, handing Judy a file on Justin. 

“Oh that's great news! Come on Nick, let's read up on this Justin character and see what we have here. You want initial interview?” Judy asked, thanking Clawhauser as they walked away. 

“Probably better, I’ll get his guard down so you can swoop in with the tough stuff. What's the file say about him?” he asked, opening the doors to the Homicide and Robbery division. 

“Let’s see … Justin Ramirez, 36 years old. Lived in the Rainforest District for awhile, but applied for a change of address last month to….well would ya look at that! To the building across the street from Ms. Lang. The only thing in his criminal record is a joy ride infraction from when he was a teenager, but otherwise a clean slate.”

Judy sat down, handing Nick the file as he took a seat on the edge of her desk, flipping through it. A few minutes later the intercom on Judy's phone came to life, a staticy voice coming through the other end. “Officer Hopps, Officer Wilde, your suspect is secured in 3.”

“We'll be right there,” she replied, releasing the intercom button on her phone. 

“Let's go catch us a killer.” Nick said, walking down the hall and through a door at the far end of the room. Stepping through it lead them into a small room with a giant one way mirror, looking into a bleak, cold, gray room, with a table and three chairs. Sitting on the far side in a single chair was a rather small buck, his antlers trimmed at about 6 inches in height. He was wearing a plaid button down shirt, thick rimmed glasses, and brown khakis. On his wrist was a sleek smartwatch, and his paws drummed on the table in nervousness. 

“Well he certainly doesn't look like the killing type. I was expecting bigger.” he said, stopping in front of the glass. 

“You never know. Remember the Mandel case? Ended up being one of the smallest wolves in the pack. Anger can be a scary thing.” Judy replied. 

Nick placed his paw on the Handle and looked back at Judy, winking as he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked up to the buck, shaking his paw before sitting down. “Justin, I'm Detective Wilde. Sorry about the wait, my partner should be here momentarily. Did you need anything? Water, maybe some coffee?”

The buck shook his head, clasping his paws on the table. “No thank you, I'm OK.” The fox recognized the tone - Justin was trying to reassure himself as much as he was Nick.

Nick opened the file and smiled up at the buck. “Ok - just let me know if you change your mind - we really do appreciate you talking with us. I do have one question while we wait, but its just personal curiosity: your job is listed as “Digital media in documentation in Film. What the heck does that mean?” 

Justin blinked once and then smiled slightly, relaxing a bit as he started to explain. “Well basically I work with programs like photoshop or illustrator to make different printed items for television and movies. So for example, maybe the show is set in a high-school math class - I help make up the homework that will be passed out in that scene. Or maybe it's a murder mystery movie and they need a case file on someone,” he continued, glancing quickly at the folder in front of Nick. “I would be the one that types that out. It's small fries as far as the show goes, but if you're watching something and they're just using blank paper, you’re going to notice and it'll take you out of the scene.”

“That's kind of awesome actually - it's the small details that can really make or break something. You work on anything big?” Nick asked. 

“Paw and order: SVU was one of my favorites. I was the documentation lead on season 16 a few years ago. Case files, passports, flyers for bands, I oversaw it all.” he replied, a small note of pride in his voice. 

The door opened and Judy walked in, pulling up a chair next to Nick before offering her paw. “Sorry I'm late, Justin - I'm Detective Hopps, ” she said, reaching out and shaking the buck’s paw. 

“Now that everyone is here, we can get started,” Hopps said. “We just have a few questions about a case we're working on, and we we're hoping you would be able to help. Did you know an Alison Lang?” Nick asked. 

“Allie? Of course I knew her. We met in a writing workshop on the differences in writing for different genres. We became pretty good friends,” Justin said. 

 

“Good enough to ask her to marry you?” Nick asked.

“Married? To Allie? No! We were never married, what would make you think that?” the buck laughed, resting his arms on the table. 

Nick slid the certificate of divorce over to Justin. “Well it's hard to get a certificate of divorce without being married first.”

The buck’s hoof shot out to pick the paper up and study it, but a sudden look of relief appeared and he chuckled . “That's true, but this isn't real. This is from one of my Paw and Order jobs.”

Judy bit her lip pensively, ears at attention as she furrowed her brows. “You made a fake certificate of divorce for you two for Paw and Order? Why did Allison have it then?” 

“I gave it to her as a gift. In one of the scenes we needed a bunch of divorce certificates for the county records office. I thought it would be fun to put our names on the document, and give it to her as gift when we finished filming. It's actually in the episode for a brief second. Allie is a huge Paw and Order fan, so I knew she would love it. You know, as much as I love reminiscing, I don't understand what any of this has to do with me being here,” the buck replied, adjusting his glasses. 

Judy glanced at Nick before closing the file. “Unfortunately, Alison was murdered last night. Can you give us your whereabouts between 7pm and midnight?”

“Murdered? What are you talking about? No she's… We had lunch together yesterday!” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. “We were making plans for a writer’s retreat…Wait, you think I did this? I would never…Allie, she's my.. was my friend! I had just moved across the street from her!” he said, his voice catching in his throat. The buck’s remorse seemed genuine - but some mammals were good at acting.

“Unfortunately we can't rule anything out. It's better for everyone involved to be able to say that with one hundred percent certainty, that way we don't waste precious time with theories that can be extinguished with a few phone calls and fact checking,” Nick said softly. 

Justin nodded, looking up at the detectives, wiping his eyes. “I was in the computer lab all night working on some files for work. I'm sure multiple people can confirm that.”

Judy got up and placed a paw on Justin’s shoulder. “I'm so sorry for your loss. Can you think of any reason why someone might want to hurt her?” she asked gently. 

The buck thought for a moment, his paws over his mouth as he shook his head. “No! She was so sweet, why would anyone want to hurt her?” he paused and looked up at the two detectives. “Did she suffer?” 

Nick leaned forward, glancing at Judy and shaking his head. “No, she didn't,“ he lied. “You said you had just moved in across the street from her? Was there any specific reason?” 

The buck shook his head his eyes focused on the table. “I had gotten a bit of a promotion, so I was looking for a new place with more room. Allie saw the flyers for the building across the street, so I applied. The place was perfect, plus then we could hang out a bit more since we lived closer.”

“I see. We're going to do everything we can to get who did this. If you think of anything that might help, just give us a call,” Judy said, sliding a card over to the buck. 

Justin stood up and walked to the door, pausing as he turned back to the pair “I don't know if it's worth anything, but I do know she didn't like the custodian at the school. She said he creeped her out. He's name is Matt or Max or something like that.” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. 

“Thank you Justin. Well check that out.” Judy replied, jotting the new information down as Nick lead the buck to the exit. 

Judy stood up as Nick returned, pushing her chair back in and leaned against the table. 

“I'll double check Justin's alibi, and call the school to inquire about the janitor there. You want to start running credit card and other financial information on her?” Nick asked, grabbing their notes off the table. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Judy replied. 

 

Nick slid his phone out of his pocket, checking the time as he placed the file on his desk. “It's already 2pm, what do you say we go to the cafeteria and grab some food to bring back up before starting on all this? Give a little bit of a breather from the doom and gloom.”

“I think that's a great idea,” Judy replied, closing her notepad and grabbing her wallet from her desk.

“You think Gideon will have apple pies when we visit? I've been craving a nice warm slice of apple pie a la mode.”

“It's just about apple harvesting season, I'm sure he'll be making apple pie. It's a fall signature, ” she replied. 

Nick picked up a beatle sandwich and a can of coke, and inspected a bowl of fruit. “Obviously it's a fall signature. I'm just looking forward to eating some of those Bunnyburrow classics,” he finished, setting the bowl of fruit down at the register. 

Judy set her packet of carrots and hummus down with her veggie wrap next to Nick's, pulling some cash out of her wallet to hand to the cashier. “Well if you want to make special requests from mom or Gideon, I'm sure they would be happy to oblige. Those two love working together in the kitchen.”

“If I'm making requests, then I'd like to order an apple pie and a sweet potato casserole,” he replied, walking back through the lobby and towards their desks. 

Judy placed her food on her desk, logging into her computer. She opened the veggie wrap and took a bite as the computer loaded. “I'll ask if the sweet potatoes will be ready when we go out next time Mom calls.”

A silence overtook the two detectives as they resumed their work. The clacking of computer keys and the whirling of inkjet printers replaced the sounds of conversation. Judy stapled a packet of information together, grabbing a highlighter and slowly moving through the document line by line. 

A few hours later, as the soft orange hues of the setting sun crossed the detectives desks, the pair knocked on the office door of the Captain in charge of the Homicide and Robbery division. 

Captain Steven Slott was a rather large Grizzly bear. He sat at his desk, a pair of square glasses resting on his snout, his fur was a muted brown and his desk was littered with papers and files. The bear glanced up as he called the two in. “Hopps, Wilde. How is the current case going?”

“Well our original suspect fell through. He's got an airtight alibi, though he did give us a possible lead on a second suspect. Matthew Géromé, a ferret that works as a janitor at the same school Alison taught at. He unfortunately wasn't in today, but he'll be at the school tomorrow,” Nick replied. 

Judy set a few pages down in front of the chief, specific lines on the page were highlighted a bright yellow. “After doing a bit of digging into her finances, I found an odd pattern. On the first Friday of every month, Ms. Lang withdrew $300 in cash. This dates back about 6 months ago. I haven't been able to track what this money could be used for yet.”

Nick closed the file he held in his paws, looking up at the captain. “Our plan is to stop by the school tomorrow. Talk to some of the teachers there that might have been close to her, maybe they can give us a bit more information into her life. Also the tech department should be done with the computer and phone by tomorrow morning, so we'll take a look at those as well.” 

The bear nodded, adjusting his glasses as he leaned, the chair creaking as he did so. “For those withdrawals, you might want to see if you can find which ATMs they were made at and check video surveillance. See if she was alone or not during those. Otherwise, let me know if you two need anything for the case.”

“Aye aye captain,” Nick said, giving the bear a two fingered salute as they walked out.

The chirping of Nick's phone caught the pairs attention as the door closed. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, Nick opened up the email he had just received. “It's Izzy. She must have found something when doing the autopsy that she didn't see initially at the crime scene. She says she still needs to run a few more tests, but that we should stop by her office first thing in the morning.”

“Well that sounds promising!” Judy said, her ears lifting as she opened the door to the station. “Seems like we have our work cut out for us tomorrow. It's going to be a long case.”


	4. The Teachers Lounge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casework makes the dream work!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it continues…. Thank you to all who stick around for this! Feel free to comment below, send it to a friend, and enjoy the ride! Huge shout out (like always!) to Whatabummer and Calidain for allowing me to bounce ideas off them and for fixing all the grammatical errors and problems that make them want to cry! 
> 
> I legally own nothing, don't sue me.

“Hey Carrots? I see dead mammals…”

Judy sighed as she closed the door to the morgue behind them. The room was dimly lit, the right side was lined with drawers of varying sizes that held those that were deceased. In the middle of the room stood a black panthress, dressed in pale blue scrubs - the corpse of Alison Lang situated in front of her on a cold metal slab. Alison’s fur had paled, and was stitched up from the autopsy, a thin white sheet covering her legs to her chest.

“I'm going to need something more clever than a Sixth Sense quote Wilde,” the panthress stated as she looked up from her clipboard. 

“Excuse you, more clever? That's a classic horror film doc! You don't need more clever,” Nick replied crossing his arms.

“Careful, his pop culture knowledge is a source of pride for this guy. Now, what'chya got for us Izzy?” Judy said, winking knowingly at her fox. 

“So - for the most part I came away from the autopsy finding everything that I expected to. I have never seen someone frozen from the inside out, so that was definitely something new for me. Even her heart had frozen solid. Poor girl would have felt herself freezing to death,” Isabel said, her voice solemn and low. A moment passed in quiet silence before she continued, “What was strange though, was that lodged in her throat was a compacted ball of dirt.”

“So on top of the brutal freezing, and the tying up in a bathtub full of ice, he shoved a ball of dirt down her throat?” Judy asked, looking down at the victim’s corpse. 

Izzy nodded, handing over a packet of test results. “From what I can tell this was done post mortem. I ran the sample and compared it with the dirt the CSI team took from her apartment, and it was a match. I also found traces of bleach mixed in with the dirt that was lodged in her throat, but that wasn't present in dirt from her planters.”

“Could be from his gloves, the perp probably used chemicals like bleach to destroy any possible forensic evidence that might have been left behind. The CSI team should have a full report for us, we'll check that with the bleach trace you found,” Nick said as he jotted the new information down. “Anything else we should know?” 

Izzy shook her head, removing and disposing of her gloves. “No, I believe that covers everything. Not much was recovered off her body that we didn't already know, as pretty much everything was left at the crime scene.”

“Thanks Iz - we’ll contact you if we have any questions on the report,” Nick said, turning to walk out with his partner. 

“Why would he shove dirt down her throat after killing her? This murder feels so much more… complex than it usually is,” Judy said frowning entering the elevator that would take the two detectives back to the main level of the precinct. 

Nick selected the 2nd floor, leaning against the wall as he flipped through the autopsy report mindlessly. “Well … I did ask for them to be a bit more creative - I guess they listened. The mud in the throat is a bit baffling. Maybe it represents the killer telling the victim to eat their words?” 

The doors to the elevators opened with an electronic chime, and the pair stepped of the elevator in front of the tech division of the First Precinct. 

“Don't you think that's a bit of a jump to place symbolic meaning on things?” Judy replied. 

“I leave all the jumping to you rabbit's. We foxes stalk up to conclusions - pounce maybe, but never jump,” Nick replied, walking over to a lanky tiger that sat in front of a rather elaborate computer station at the front of the tech division. 

“Fredster! How goes it with Ms. Langs computer and phone?” Nick asked, leaning casually against the tiger’s desk.

The tiger turned to face the detectives, nodding a curt hello as he picked a cell phone up off the desk. Freddy was thin, almost frail looking - but was one of the most highly regarded tech analysts in Zootopia. His computer station was surrounded by three different monitors, each displaying multiple windows that neither detective could begin to understand. 

“Finished going through both of them earlier this morning,” the lithe tiger said. “Honestly her computer was mostly clean, her files mainly consisting of what seems to be graded student assignments, as well as a few personal stories she seems to be working on … She really seemed to like that ‘Wreck it Rhino’ movie, judging by the fanfiction …”

Nick and Judy shared a glance of mild surprise before Fred continued.

“I did find an app on her desktop that seems to be a diary of sorts. I got it unlocked for you two but didn't look at it myself. Same with her phone, it's unlocked for you two. I scanned both devices for any hidden or encrypted files and came up empty, so everything on those devices should be free for you to access without issue,” the tiger said, handing the devices to Judy. 

Judy swiped to unlock the tablet, a scenic photo of a white sand beach filled the screen. The tablet’s desktop was semi-organized, a few folders filling the left side of screen. On the bottom right was an app obviously designed as a diary. 

“Thanks Freddy, we'll let you know if we have any questions about them. It looks pretty straight forward from here,” Judy replied. 

“Yeah, thanks again Fred,” Nick said. “Oh, I’ll probably be busy this weekend - so you’ll have to grind ELO without me.”

“Hey, no worries Nick,” the tiger said amicably. “Take care guys!”

Judy smiled and shook her head - Nick always seemed to be able to relate to everyone in the ZPD personally, no matter what they did. It was a trait she admired in her partner.

With both arms full of new evidence to sort through, the pair headed back downstairs. 

“We have three hours to sort through all this before needing to be at the school. Do you want case files or devices?” Nick asked, setting the files from Izzy next to the files already on his desk. “Looks like we have canvassing reports as well as the CSI reports in as well.”

Judy pushed the devices over to Nick, pulling the folders and files back over to her side. “You're better with technology and I'm better with files, seems like an obvious choice to me.”

Nick sat in his chair, opening the laptop on his desk. “Let's say two hours and then give each other a rundown of what we've found?” 

“Sounds good. Let’s get to work,” She replied. 

 

“Alright, let's start with canvassing. Did that turn up anything?” Nick asked, pushing the computer to the side. 

“Honestly it didn't turn up a whole lot,” Judy said. “The closest neighbor was Mr. Jackson. That was the neighbor that found her and called 911, but as we know, he was returning from work and wasn't home when the murder took place. No one else recalled seeing or hearing anything. However, there was an older meerkat that lives across the street. She said she saw what appeared to be someone running out of the apartment building around the tail end of our time of death estimate. She couldn't see much, but whoever it was was approximately the size of a horse or zebra.”

“Well that's not the most solid lead, but I guess it's something to add to our ‘maybe’ column while checking out suspects,” Nick replied.

Judy slid a few files across her desk to Nick. 

“It's worth considering of course,” she said. “Now the CSI report gave us no fur, no pawprints, not even a scent to go off of. Whoever this guy is, he left no trace of himself behind. They wiped down and bleached every surface they touched, most of their materials they either used from their own home, such as the knife, or the materials are generic enough not to be able to be traced, such as the rope used.”

“What about the nitrogen tank? I mean, that's not really something you would have just laying around, and it's not exactly a commonly sold item I'd imagine,” Nick replied. 

“It's a bit more widespread then I had hoped. In the last few years, nitrogen frozen ice cream has become a popular thing. I see it on Herdon occasionally, but I didn't realize just how many places use liquid nitrogen. It seems the perp also shaved off the last two digits of the serial number, so tracking down exactly where it came from isn't going to be something we can do.”

“Damn it. This perp covers their tracks well,” Nick grumbled, turning the computer around. “Well I've made a little bit of leeway with our victims devices. Going through her diary was interesting, there's a lot of drama that seems to happen in the teacher's lounge. Apparently, Susan like Dave, but Dave is married, but Becky thinks that Susan should still give it a shot. And Cameron's sister was arrested for catnip last week. Some real juicy office gossip going on!”

“Uh-huh...and this applies to our case how exactly?” Judy replied, her eyebrows arched as she awaited an explanation. 

“Oh it has nothing to do with it - drama is just an added bonus!” Nick shot Judy a disarming smile before continuing, “However there were a few different entries talking about Matthew. It seems he had an affinity for Ms. Lang that was not reciprocated. Nothing that suggests murder, but definitely creepy behavior, such as giving her gifts, like a solid gold bracelet. Nice gift, but creepy to give to someone you aren't really involved with. It seems Alison told him a few times that she wasn't interested, but she was still receiving notes and unwanted attention from him.”

“We've seen people kill for less. Anything on her phone?” Judy asked. 

“So many selfies, possibly more than you take! There is a message chain that looks promising,” Nick said, sliding the phone over to Judy. She picked up reading the conversation on the screen. 

Alison: I'm sorry, I won't be able to get the $300 this month. Something came up that I need to take care of. 

Unknown: Could you do half? I could make do with half this month. 

Alison: I'll try my best to get you what I can. 

“So the withdraws she was making… Any luck tracing the number?” Judy asked. 

“No, they used a burner number, probably one of those apps that allow you to text for free,” he replied. 

“It feels like a whole bunch of clues that tell us a whole bunch of nothing.” Judy sighed, 

“A whole buncha nothing is our forte rabbit! Our whole life has been making somethin outta nothin!” Nick smiled warmly at Judy, and she couldn’t help but blush at the genuine compliment. 

“Come on, let's head to the school, maybe someone there can give us some added information to the endless questions we have. It'll give you chance to be around fellow nerds again,” Nick teased, standing up and grabbing his phone off the desk.

“You say nerd, I say smart enough to catch a con mammal. You sure you won't be depressed seeing all the young whippersnappers doing what you used to be able to in your prime?” Judy retorted, pushing the door to Precinct 1 open. 

“Used to be?” Nick scoffed. “Rabbit, I entered my prime and never exited! I am the ideal specimen that all should strive for.”

“Huh, wasn’t it just last week or the week before that one that you threw your back out brushing your teeth?” 

“I didn't throw my back out brushing my teeth! I hurt it pursuing a suspect but I didn't feel the pain till the adrenaline wore off! I was hurt in the line of duty.”

“Oh yes … That's exactly what happened, definitely,” Judy responded sarcastically. “Now get in the car we gotta go back to school!” 

“Oh boy,” Nick quipped.

 

Fremont High was one of the oldest high schools in the greater Savannah Central area. The maroon brickwork that made up the face of the building had been chipped and stained over the years. The three story building sat in a quiet suburban neighborhood, mostly inherited by medium sized predators. 

Entering through the old oak doors, Judy and Nick found themselves in front of the administration office, where the principal and vice principal shared a rather large office. Mr. Gregory Sanders, a short white wolf wearing a pinstripe blue suit, sat at his desk as the two detectives approached. 

The Principal’s office was an off white, with large windows looking out into the school grounds on the right side of the room. The principal was an obviously tiddy person, as indicated by the clean and orderly desk that sat at the head of the room and the spartan furnishings and wall coverings.

Judy spoke first. 

“Principal Sanders - thank you for seeing us,” she began. “We're hoping you might be able to give us some details on Alison Lang … How she was as a worker. Did she have any problems with any of the other teachers or students?” Judy asked. 

“No, she was a very well respected teacher,” Sanders said. The wolf was authoritative, responding to the detective’s questions with confidence. “She taught with a kind paw, but she wasn't pushed around either. Students liked her, and I know that she genuinely cared about them.” 

At that moment the piercing ring of the school bell interrupted the conversation. The muted sounds of lockers opening and teenagers talking seeped through the walls as the detectives stood.

“If you don't mind, we'd like to talk to a few of the teachers that were close to Ms. Lang, as well as the custodian, Matthew Géromé. We have a possible lead that he was in contact with Ms. Lang and made her feel uncomfortable,” Judy said, handing the principal her card. “If anything else shows up, let us know.”

“Of course Officers,” the wolf said. “You'll find some of the teachers in the teachers lounge since it's lunch time. Take the main hallway straight down to the end.”

Nick and Judy stepped out of the main office, walking down the slowly emptying halls towards the teachers break room. The walls were lined on either side with lockers painted in a faded ocean green, a classroom door interrupting the pattern every 50 feet or so. 

The few remaining students wandering the halls glanced at the detectives as they passed with curious eyes. A young gray fox stepped out of the bathroom door, stopping as he caught sight of the detectives. Judy gave him a small nod as they passed, before the young fox trailed behind them quietly at a distance. Judy glanced at Nick, who shrugged as if to say: so what, let him follow - let’s see what happens.

At the end of the hallway was the teacher’s lounge. Nick nodded a polite hello as he stepped inside behind Judy. 

A few office chairs were spread out through the room, with a large table in the middle. On the far end stood an off white fridge; multiple schedules and calendars were pinned with magnets to the machine’s surface. To the right was an old black microwave and coffee maker, holding stale lukewarm coffee. 

Sitting around the table in the center were three of the schools teachers, who all glanced up at the detectives as they walked in. 

Nick gave a small wave, deftly displaying his badge for them to see.“Hi, I'm sorry to intrude, but I'm Detective Nick Wilde, and this is my partner Judy Hopps. I was hoping we could take a few moments to ask you guys some questions about Alison Lang?” 

A white wolf sat and the table raised a paw, a sad smile adorning her face. She was dressed in a blue denim dress, with a red bracelet on her wrist. Her eyes were bloodshot, with subtle bags under them - she hadn’t slept well for some time.

“Of course detectives. We would be happy to help,” the wolf said., “I'm Becky Silverman, I worked across the hall from Alison in the English department. This,” the wolf said, indicating a hippo across the table from her “is Thomas Waters, he's in charge of the math department, and standing by the coffee pot is Nancy Castoridae, she heads up the Theater department,” Becky said, pointing towards a small beaver in the corner.

“We are very sorry for your loss, and we are going to do everything we can to brink Alison’s murderer to justice - but we need your help. . Now, is there anyone you can think of that might want to hurt Alison?” Judy asked.

When Judy spoke, it was with a conviction - a certainty that Nick had long ago come to admire. The rabbit had an unwavering faith in Justice, and relished her role in bringing it about - something Nick had always found inspiring.

The beaver walked over to the table, sat next to Becky and sighed. “Not at all. Alison was a happy, easy going, and extremely kind person. I couldn't fathom anyone wanting to hurt her on purpose.”

The wolf nodded as the hippo leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. “She was the kind of person that didn't hold a grudge. She wanted her students to succeed and helped them all in any way she could.”

“We heard that the janitor, a ferret named Matthew … did he make Alison feel uncomfortable?” Nick asked. 

Becky and Thomas shared a knowing glance.

“Matthew liked Alison, but the feeling was not reciprocated. She politely turned him away numerous times, but he didn't seem to get the hint that she wasn't interested.” Thomas replied.

“Ya, in fact I helped her with how to be more forceful in how to tell him she wasn't interested,” Becky said. “It was just last week, she told me she wanted him to stop for good but didn't know how to tell him that. I helped her practice how to say it and she did the next day. It really made him mad, he walked away from us muttering something about how we would pay. I mean, I know he was mad, but he never seemed like the violent type, you don't think it was him do you?

Judy scratcher her cheek, her foot thumping against the floor quietly. “We aren't willing to rule anything out just yet. Do you know where we can find Matthew?” 

“He starts his shift in an hour, after lunch to start cleaning the quad and cafeteria,” Thomas said. 

“Good to know. One last thing- ,we found out that Alison was withdrawing about $300 in cash on the first Friday of every month. Do any of you know why?” Nick asked. 

All three teachers shook their heads, glancing at each other surprised at the information. 

“No, I don’t know why …” Becky said, glancing to the other teachers. Each seemed as perplexed as the wolf.

Nick closed his notepad, sliding it into his pocket. “Well I think that will be everything we need for now, thank-” 

“I know what the money was for,” said a voice from behind the detectives. Turning around, Nick and Judy saw the young gray fox who had been trailing them come into view. His black hoodie was punctuated with minor rips, and his jeans fared no better - the bare threads of the denim poked through in a wide variety of holes. 

The fox’s muzzle has small brushes and scratches, which would be almost impossible to see if one wasn’t looking closely - but Judy and Nick had seen this before. It was the tell tale signs of abuse, and no matter how many times the two detectives saw it, their stomachs turned. 

The fox’s piercing blue eyes looked up at the pair as he deflated under the curious gaze of the detectives and teachers in the room. 

“Trevor, don't be pulling any pranks on our officers, they are hard at work and don't need any mischief on your pat,” Thomas said. 

“It's okay Mr. Whitetail, we want to hear from everyone that might have answers, ” Judy said, smiling warmly at the student and glancing over at her partner as she dropped to a knee to be closer to the young foxes height. “Trevor, right?”

The fox nodded.

“Any information you have that can help I would be happy to hear,” Judy said as warmly as she could. 

The young fox nodded, stepping closer to the two detectives. “She was giving it to me … . Ms. Lang found out that the money I was making mowing lawns wouldn't be enough for me to save to get into college, so she started giving me $300 a month. I was to put $200 in a bank account she helped me set up and the other $100 could go for any school supplies or clothes I might need, and I could use a little for fun.”

Trevor’s gaze shifted quickly between Nick and Judy, searching them for any sign that he should be embarrassed or afraid.

“That was very generous of her to do,” Judy said. 

“It was … I tried to tell her I didn't need it, but she insisted”

Trevor hesitated, his gaze shifting to Nick for a long moment before it fell to his feet.

“ My mother died a few years ago, and after that my father stopped getting as much work as he used to, so any money I made went to helping him … but that just helped him drink. Ms. Lang helped me through a lot of the bad times that followed,” Trevor replied with a world-weariness that had no place in a mammal as young as this fox

Judy frowned, looking away as Nick knelt down and put a comforting paw on the fox’s shoulder. “Is he the cause of the bruises on your muzzle? If he's hurting you, we can help.” 

The fox shrugged and looked away, shaking his head. “No, those are ... well they're from just playing around with my friends. We get too rough I guess.”

Nick bit his lip and furrowed his brows, sighing as he nodded. “Alright - if you say so pup. Do you know why Ms. Lang couldn't afford to give you anything this month? We saw the texts on her phone.”

“No, she wouldn't say. I was hoping to get enough to visit my aunt over Thanksgiving break,” he replied solemnly.

Judy watched Nick closely as the older fox brought a second paw to rest on Trevor’s shoulders. Nick handed the young fox a card, and said “When I was your age, I felt I had to resort to doing things I knew were wrong … just to get by. But take it from me - no matter how much it will seem like you don’t have a choice, taking the easy way out - doing the things you know are wrong … it won’t t fix any problems.”

The whole world seemed to fall away, and Judy watched in awe as Nick spoke directly to Trevor. 

“This card has my personal number on it - give me a call over the weekend and we'll see if we can't get you to your aunt’s. If you think of anything else, or if you need anything,even just someone to talk to, just give me a call, alright? I know what you’ve been through, and I’m here to help … ok?” 

The gray fox nodded, taking the card and looking it over. “Thank you sir,” he said, smiling up at the older fox before quickly walking out of the room. 

Nick stood up, turning back towards Judy to see her with her paws clenched and eyes locked onto the ground. Nick turned towards the teachers. “Thank you guys for your help,” he said, opening the door and walking out of the lounge with Judy. The pair stepped out of the main hallway, walking into the crisp autumn air in the school quad. Nick reached over, taking Judy's paw and leading her over to a wooden bench under a large sugar maple tree, the leaves a burnt orange color. 

“You okay?,” Judy asked, squeezing his paw. 

“I am,” Nick said with a sigh. “It's rough, seeing a young fox like that. I mean - it's better now a days then it used to be, but it's still harder for foxes than other mammals. To have your own family work against you? I don’t buy for a minute that his dad didn’t give him those bruises.”

Judy heard a low growl creep into Nick’s voice, before it dissipated with a heavy sigh.

“ I just hope he can see what I couldn't - , that there are options he can take that aren't harmful or wrong.”

“Like you said, it's better now than it used to be. He's saving for college and seems to have a good heart,” Judy she replied. 

“I hope so. What about you? It looked like you were trying to murder the floor tiles.” 

Judy sighed and leaned against the beach. “It makes me mad. We decided years ago that we weren't going to have children, at least not while we were active on the force. But that doesn't mean I've never felt like I wouldn't want one at some point … And we would make fantastic parents.”

“No doubt, we would be amazing,” Nick said proudly. “But listening to him talk about his life at home, it made you feel angry, didn't it?”

“You know me too well. I just felt, like - why does this jerk get to treat a sweet kid terribly? Just because he had the kit biologically … why does that mean he gets away with this? , I mean, we could never have one that's biologically ours … so we’d have to adopt. There are so many more hoops to jump through for us to have a kid, but this asshole gets to abuse his just because he was able to knock up some poor girl?”

The rabbit’s fists were clenched, her gaze firmly fixed at her feet as she continued.

“That kid deserves better parents than he’s got, that’s for damn sure. Just cause you made the kid doesn’t mean you’re fit to be their parent ...” Judy growled.

Nick wrapped an arm around Judy and pulled her close to comfort her. After a moment, he felt the tension in the rabbit’s frame ease, and she leaned into his embrace.

“Do you think we made the wrong call? Should we have started a family sooner?” Nick asked. 

“No, I think we made the right call … but there’s just a twinge of sadness that pops up on occasion,” Judy replied patting his paw. 

“I understand. And hey - thus far, I have no regrets about anything. But what do you say to checking on Trevor next week if he hasn't called? We may not have our own kids, but we can make sure that the ones we meet are safe and taken care of,” he replied, kissing her paw. 

Judy smiled, leaning against Nick. “I think that's a good idea. On a side note, it looks like Matthew has started his shift,’ she said pointing across the yard towards the cafeteria. Standing in front of the doors with a cleaning cart was a small ferret. 

“Well … what do you say we go ask him a few questions, partner?” Nick said.


	5. Abandon Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crime solving has lots of steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a week late, and for that I apologize. Sometimes real life sucks and is time consuming. But we got it finished and we should be back on schedule once more! Thanks to Whatabummer for the editing of this monstrosity. Also check out his “Through a glass, Darkly” if you haven't already. Insanely well written story! 
> 
> As always, none of this belongs to me. All hail king Mickey. 
> 
> Feel free to comment with thoughts, feedback, and predictions! Enjoy!

Nick and Judy walked up to the beige cafeteria building, the cement walls faded and cracked from years in the hot sun. Nick made an elaborate show of holding the door open for Judy, bending low with an exaggerated sweep of his paw. Judy stuck her tongue out at the fox and told him to behave, but smiled for a moment despite herself.

The detectives took a quick glance over the interior of the room. Standing in the middle of the room, wiping down one of the long tables of the cafeteria was a short ferret, wearing a dark gray jumpsuit with the name ‘Matt’ stitched on the upper left side. 

“Matthew Géromé? Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD. Could we ask you a few questions?” Nick said, stepping into the ferrets field of view. Judy’s years of experience meant she wasn’t aware as she reflexively positioned herself on the other side of the ferret to block any attempt to bolt.

The ferret sighed, tossing the rag across his shoulder as he leaned against the table with his arms crossed. “That’s not really a question, more of a statement innit? I'll help ya guys out: I didn't kill Alison and I don't know who did.”

“Well, slow down friend,” Nick put his paws up in front of him in a disarming gesture, “Who said that's what we're here for? Perhaps we're looking into unpaid parking tickets. According to my records you have a few of those.”

The ferret grunted as he rolled his eyes. “I ain't no idiot. I have a payment plan with the city set up. Besides, Alison is murdered two days ago and didn't really like me, then you two show up. It ain't hard to connect the dots.”

The two detectives shared a brief glance, and Nick shrugged.

“You got us. Now, why would you say Alison didn't like you? That seems like a harsh statement,” Judy asked, her pen clicking as she opened her pad. 

“Maybe. Could be annoyed with me is a better way of sayin’ it. Thing is, I liked her. She was beautiful, and her laugh was infectious. It took me weeks to work up the courage to ask her out, but she told me she was busy. I should have realized then that she wasn't interested in me, but I had hoped that maybe she was just busy and I could find a better time that worked for her,” the ferret replied, his paws sliding into the pockets of his jumpsuit. “So I asked again and was shot down again.”

“So you figured buying her that bracelet might be enough to score you a date? ,” Judy said. 

“That had nothing to do with asking her out!” the ferret snapped, the barest hint of a growl in his voice suddenly fading back to a resigned monotone. “Well maybe a little bit - but the reason I bought it was for her ten year anniversary working for the school last year. Multiple people got her small gifts, I didn't just randomly buy it, that would be creepy,” he replied annoyed. 

“But after she shot you down this last time, you responded with …” Nick said as he fished out a small notebook and read aloud, “‘You two will pay,’ is that right? Yeesh buddy, not the best way to score a date.”

“Now the story I see here is that this last time she said no, she did it in a way that humiliated you, and that pissed you off, “ Judy said, her eyebrows raised. “Maybe you followed her back home, maybe you two started fighting, and before you knew it she was dead. A crime of passion, it could happen to anyone.”

“Very good story tellin’ Detective Hopps. But that's all that was- a story,” Géromé said with a scowl. “The last time she said no, yes I was pissed off. I had asked her if she wanted to go to dinner, and she went off on me! Calling me a creepy perv, and a dirty weasel. Nothing I ain’t heard before … but words like that sting, as I'm sure your both aware.”

Despite herself, Judy couldn’t help but quickly glance at Nick; his expression was neutral, but Judy saw a small twitch in Nick’s ear - despite his calm exterior, she knew this kind of thing got to him.

“However that kinda response wasn't from Alison,” Géromé continued. “That was her friends words, Becky, bein’ put into Alison's mouth. If anyone deserved payback, it was Becky ... and when I said I was going to make them pay, I wasn't referring to murder! I was gonna take them to mammal resources for speciest comments. Now as far as the night of the murder, I was at Newberry Park pub, was there till almost one in the mornin’ since I had the next day off. I'm sure the cameras will prove that, and if not you can talk to the bartender.”

It was clear from the ferret’s tone that this was something of a routine for him, and Judy couldn’t help feel a pang of sadness for the ferret - it was clear Géromé was more than a little lonely.

“Anyway, if you want the real killer, you should look into whoever she hit with her car,” the ferret said as he turned around and continued to wipe down the cafeteria tables, as the pair of detectives jotted down notes. 

“Excuse me… But, what accident are you referring to?” Nick asked. “There is no claim to any insurance about any accident.” 

The ferret stopped wiping, shrugging his shoulders. “I'm not sure, just something I overheard her talking about on the phone. She said she couldn't afford the insurance spike so it was being done under the table. Said something about the guy being pissed and wanting it fixed as soon as she could have it done. She asked to borrow money from whoever she was talking to.” 

“Ever think that listening into her phone calls might be why she considered you a bit creepy bud?” Nick asked, crossing his arms. 

“Hey, I wasn't listenin’ in cuz I wanted to- well I wasn't against it, but I was busy trying to clean the hallways before the kids came back to destroy it. She was standing in the middle of the hall, not noticing anyone around her. I walked right past her and she didn't even acknowledge my presence. I was still angry about what happened earlier, so I didn't exactly say hello either, but regardless I wasn't trying to snoop. Just happened to over hear,” he replied. 

“Would you happen to remember what day and about what time that phone call took place?” Judy asked. 

“It was last Tuesday, sometime between 12:30 and 1pm. The kids where at lunch, but I don't have an exact time,” he replied with a shrug. 

“You thinking phone logs?” Nick asked Judy with a smile. 

“I'm thinking phone logs,” Judy replied. She reached into her coat pocket, handing her card to the ferret. “You think of anything else, you call. And don't make any travel plans till we check out that alibi.” 

“Aye aye captn’,” he replied, pushing the cart towards the next set of tables. “I'm sure y’all can see yourselves out.” 

The two detectives stepped out of the cafeteria.

“Well … he's super charming, I don't see why Alison didn't jump at her chance to get with him,” Nick said with amusement. “I mean ... if you’ve got second thoughts about me, I don’t blame you.”

“Well, if you’re so desperate to get rid of me … maybe I should get his number?,” Judy teased nudging Nick playfully.

“Now that's not even a little funny. The position of my short stack is already filled, and I'm not looking for a replacement,” he replied, stuffing his paws in his pockets. 

“I'm tall for a bunny you know.”

“It's the ears, the big, fluffy, adorable ears. They double your height,” he said laughing as he unlocked their cruiser. 

Climbing into the driver seat, Nick reached into the back, pulling Alison's cell phone out of a bag and unlocking it. Scrolling through the call history, he found one call made from last Tuesday at 12:39 pm to someone listed as ‘Kate.’ Nick relayed the phone number to Judy as she typed it into the ZPD phone database. 

“And we have a hit! Kate Deadwood, she is a 24 year old cheetah . She lives on Shady Place in the Rainforest District, just about 10 minutes from here. What do you say we drop by? She may not even know Alison is dead yet, it'd be better to do it in person,” Judy said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

“Alright. I can take lead in telling her, you took lead in telling Justin,” he replied, shifting the car into drive, and pulling away from the curb.

 

Shady Place was a quiet street just at the edge of the Rainforest District. The tall curtain fig trees above the floor interconnected with long thick vines to block out the sky above them. A slight mist hung in the air, and the two detectives walked down a narrow road made of stones and covered in a dark green moss. 

12733 was a small house made up of solid oak, the whole building having been carved out of the trunk of a massive old tree. The fence around the yard was made of steel, the ironwork acting as both protection and art. Sitting on top of the front porch sat a deck swing and small glass table, a cup of coffee still sitting on top. Climbing along the right side of the house was a fully blooming jasmine bush, it's white flowers letting out a sweet scent that managed to be distinct even amidst the deep floral aroma of the district.. 

Stepping up to the door, Nick give a few rapid knocks. A few moments later, a young cheetah opened the door, her eyes were a soft orange, and she held a striking resemblance to Alison; however instead of the normal sparsely spotted pelt typical to her species Kate’s fur was covered in thick bands and splotches of dark fur. It gave the cheetah a very exotic look - reminding Nick of the Rorschach tests the department counselors gave during their quarterly evaluations. . 

“Kate Deadwood? I'm Detective Nick Wilde, and this is my partner, Judy Hopps. We were hoping you had a moment to talk?”

“Of course, what can I help you two with?” she asked with a polite smile, though the quick glance the cat belied her surprise at the sudden visit by two detectives.. 

“Unfortunately the reason for our visit has to do with the death of Alison Lang,” Nick replied softly. 

“Oh my god …” Kate blinked in surprise, fumbling for something to say. “T- that's terrible to hear. Uh, would you two like to come in?” she asked, her face falling as she stepped aside to let the detectives in. 

Nick stepped in, glancing around the house. The carpet was a solid brown, matching the oak wood panels. Along the walls hung various photos and colorful paintings, mostly centered around the rainforest. A purple couch stood in the middle of the living room across from a burgundy lounge chair. The two detectives sat down on the couch, pulling out their notes from their talk with Matthew from earlier. 

“How well did you know Alison?” Judy asked once Kate sat across from them. 

The cheetah sighed, shaking her head. “Honestly, not that well. I only met her a few months ago. We're second cousins, and only recently bumped into each other at my aunts wedding. We've talked a few times since then, but honestly I couldn't tell you too much about her,” she replied, sitting back in the recliner. 

“Well that would explain the resemblance. But if you two barely new each other, why was she calling you asking for money?” Nick asked. 

Kate picked up her phone and opened it, handing it to the two detectives. On the screen was messages sent between the two females. 

“She was in a car accident a few weeks ago. She told me she couldn't handle the insurance spike, so she was going to pay the guy under the table,” Kate explained, “He quoted her something insane like $5,000, so I asked her to send me the photos. I have a friend that's a mechanic, and according to him, at most the damages would have been maybe $1,500. When she brought this information to the guy, she said he was furious- cussing her out and screaming about how his car is for work and she needed to make up his lost jobs. I guess he was a zuber driver, and he couldn't drive according to company policy until it was fixed. Alison agreed to meet him halfway at $2,200 but she could only scramble up half the amount this month. She was asking me if I could spot the rest and she would pay me back next month. I could only offer her $500 though, as money is tight around here as well. I knew she was a bit scared of this guy, but I never would have thought this would be something someone would kill over!” 

Nick and Judy shared a glance - this was the tough part. The initial shock was beginning to wear off, and Kate was starting to wonder if she was even slightly responsible.

The young cheetah crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “I could have dipped into my savings… Maybe I could have kept her alive,” she said quietly. 

Judy rested a paw on the cheetahs knee, shaking her head. “No, this isn't your fault. Don't put this blame on yourself. The only person at fault is whoever murdered her, and no one else. Everything you've given us is super helpful, and we'll keep you up to date as much as we can.”

“Hey Carrots?” Nick said, a small smile on his lips. “One of the photos that shows the damage also has a license plate. If we run this, we can find the guy and bring him in for questioning.”

Judy smiled up at the cheetah. “We'll figure this out. Thank you for all your help Ma'am.”

The two detectives stood up, shaking her paw before heading back out into the cloudy afternoon. 

Judy unlocked her tablet as she walked down the road, typing the license plate number into the search bar of her ZPD account. “Zachary Ryder. 42 year old stallion. He's a zuber driver, and get this, he has a record. He assaulted someone years ago with crowbar for rear ending him. Seems car issues set this guy off. The other dude ended up in the emergency room with multiple broken bones and a ruptured spleen. Zack did five years and was let out on probation for good behavior… about eight years ago,” Judy said as she handed Nick the tablet. 

“Talk about road rage. I think we should call a couple uniforms in to watch our backs. This is a big guy, with a temper. I'd rather not have to fight him if we don't have to. A kick from a horse hurts like hell,” Nick replied as he started the car. 

The car pulled out from the curb as Judy grabbed the radio mounted on the dashboard. “This is Detectives Wilde And Hopps requesting a back unit for a possible arrest at 1359 Palm view road.”

 

The setting sun cast long shadows across the cement buildings on Palm View Road. The dilapidated buildings felt still, and a quiet breeze shifted the leaves of the palm trees out front. A large police cruiser pulled up across the street from Nick and Judy, the detectives climbing out of their car to meet the two approaching officers. 

“Hey, they sent us Hornz and Stripes! How are ya guys?” Nick asked, shaking the large Rhino's paw before giving a nod to the tiger behind him. 

“We hear you need a bit of backup for a possible arrest?” The tiger asked 

Judy shook her head. “Not sure if it'll be an arrest, but this guy has a history of violent assault and having some backup wouldn't hurt anyone.”

Nick handed the file to the two officers. “Zack Ryder, he's a stallion with an record. At this point, he's our prime suspect in Alison Lang’s murder.”

“I hate to be rude and cut the pow wow short, but our guy just walked out of the building and is shuffling through the trunk of his car…” Judy said, her nose twitching. 

“Let's go take a look at the junk in his trunk, shall we?” Nick said as he crossed the street. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Zack Ryder?” Nick asked as he stepped onto the curb, looking up at the large horse. 

The brown speckled stallion stepped away from the trunk of the car, turning around to face the officers, his eyes going wide as he took in the sight of four of Zootopia’s finest. “Whatchya guys want?” 

“We would like to ask you a few questions about Alison Lang,” Judy replied. 

Zack’s eyes narrowed in confusion, and he made a nervous glance back at his car before saying, “The cheetah that screwed up my ride? You guys gonna take care of the damages she caused?”

“Actually we were going to ask you about why you murdered her,” Nick said, stepping around to approach the back of Zack’s car. 

“Murder? I ain't murdered nobody! You guys are insane,” the horse replied clenching his jaw, his gaze flitting between the rabbit and fox. 

“Well Alison was murdered a few nights ago, and we have an eye witness that puts you at the scene, and from what I can tell, you certainly have motive,” Judy said, tapping her foot. 

Nick had circled around to the car and subtly glanced into the trunk. His eyes went wide and he suddenly drew his stun gun, “I think you're going to have to come down to the station to answer a few questions Zacky. Carrots, we got ropes and bloody clothes in back seat over here.”

“Those have nothing to do with Alison! I ain't murdered nobody, I told you that!” he shouted.

The two bigger officers placed their paws on their guns, waiting to see what the stallion did. “Sir, please place your paws on your head and get on your knees,” Judy said, removing her paw cuffs. 

“This is a mistake, I didn't do nothing,” he said, turning around as he placed his paws on his head. 

Judy walked over, sliding the cuffs around his wrists. “We can discuss this at the station, but we do have to take you down, and the clothing will be tested. Until then, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney …” Judy lead the horse away from his car, reading him his Meowranda Rights. 

Nick slid a pair of latex gloves onto his paws before opening the rear door of the car. Sliding a bag out of his coat pocket, he picked up the rope and bloody clothes, bagging them to take back to the station. 

“Let's hope DNA testing doesn't take weeks. If this is Alison's blood, it'll be an open and shut case,” Nick muttered to himself as he closed the door behind him. “A confession would certainly speed it all up,” he said to himself, giving a wave to the officers as they climbed back Unruh their cruiser and drove off. 

Nick paused for a second, sighing as he closed his eyes. A moment later, he crossed the street, the tiredness in showing through on his face. “Let's finish this.”

 

Nick sat across from the large horse in interrogation room two, a cup of coffee in his hand. Leaning against the wall behind him was Judy, her arms crossed as he looked away. 

“Would you describe yourself as violent person Zack?” Nick asked. 

“I can get angry at times, but no I wouldn't consider myself a violent person,” he responded angrily. The horse shifted in his seat uncomfortably, the metal of the pawcuffs keeping his hooves tied to the table clinking as he did so.

“Would you say if someone pissed you off you have a tendency to take things further than they should go?” Nick asked. 

“Perhaps on occasion, but nothing more then a normal person,” the horse said, eyebrows furrowed. 

“So beating a guy halfway to death with a crowbar is normal?” Judy asked, looking up.

“I made a mistake once, that doesn't mean I committed murder.” 

“Maybe not, but here's what we know so far,” Judy began. “Last Thursday, at about 9pm, Alison Lang was murdered. Whoever killed her did so with a high level of violence. You - a person that has a record of violent assault - was seen at the crime scene around that same time. In the back of your car we found a shirt with dried blood on it, as well as ropes that match the same brand as the ones used to tie up Alison. It's not a far jump to say you were angry and killed her,” Judy said, staring at the horse. 

Zack repositioned himself, a scowl on his face. “I already said I didn't do it. The blood on the shirt was my own, I cut my hand on some broken glass while cleaning my kitchen out, and the rope was something I carry in case of emergencies.”

“See that is possible, but I don't believe that it's true. Here's what I think happened. Alison hit your car. Your car is your livelihood, it's how you support yourself, and without it, you would be in trouble. You waited for her to give you the money, but when she could only give you a portion, you got angry. Anyone would have, you basically lost your job because of this women. So you followed her home, you tied her up, and you killed her.” Judy said, walking over to lean on top of the table.

“That's no-” 

“Don't worry, you'll have a chance to talk soon. Right now though, is your chance to listen. You were mad, you snapped! It's understandable, but I can't help you if you don't give me anything. If the evidence convicts you, it'll be so much harder for you to get out of this.” Nick said, scooting his chair closer, laying a paw on his shoulder. “Just tell us what happened and we can have this all be over.”

The horse closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I was there that night but I didn't kill her! I stopped by around 9 o'clock, but when I knocked on the door, no-one answered! I waited a few minutes and left, that was it!” 

“Zack, please. No one faults you. We don't think you killed her because you take pleasure in it, or that you have psychotic tendencies. A mammal can only be pushed so far before they snap, and Alison had pushed you over the edge. I understand, it could have happened to anyone,” Nick said.

The fox’s voice was calm and unthreatening, designed to sound genuine and warm - sympathetic. No matter how many times Judy saw Nick do this it still amazed her. If someone didn’t know Nick was just using this as an interrogation technique, they’d probably believe Nick genuinely did understand.

“I would have been pissed had I been in your position! But we have an eye witness that puts you at the scene of the crime, and you yourself have stated you were there. The rope she was tied up with was in the back of your car. You had means, motive and opportunity. If this goes to trial, and they convict you, you could get the death sentence. But if you plead guilty and confess, we can help you. We can keep the death penalty off the table completely,” Nick said, looking up at the horse as he frowned. 

The scowl on the horses face wavered, turning his eyes away from detectives. “I think now would be a good time to ask for a lawyer.”

Judy stared down the horse for a moment, before silently walking out of the room. 

“We'll give you phone call privileges momentarily,” Nick replied, pushing his chair in before walking out, shutting the door behind him. 

“Crap. We won't get much more out with him lawyering up,” Judy said, pacing back and forth.

“Easy now Carrots, we still don't know what the evidence in the car is. His confession would be nice, but if that comes back positive for Alison's blood, then a confession won't be needed.”

“Having a confession just makes the process easier for everyone,” Judy said sighing. “But I don't think we're going to get one.”

The door to the interrogation viewing room opened, and Chief Slott stepped in. 

“Hopps, Wilde. We’re going to release Mr. Ryder,” he said, stepping up to the one way mirror. 

“Excuse me sir? Our evidence might be circumstantial to an extent, but it should be more than enough to hold him,” Judy said, looking up at the bear. 

“Usually I would agree with you. But two more bodies where just found, and the initial report looks like they’re connected to the last victim. Mr. Ryder here has been in our custody during the entire estimated time of death for our new victims. It looks like whoever killed Alison is still out there,” the captain said with a heavy sigh, though he never took his gaze off the horse in the interrogation room. 

“I'll take care of Zack. You two head over to the new crime scene. And be prepared. It's worse than the last one,” the grizzly bear said, handing the two wide eyed detectives a file containing the details of the new murders. 

Nick took the case file and frowned, turning towards Judy and sighed. “Well, I think this case just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated Carrots.”


	6. O Happy Dagger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens!....with blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a thing. Warning, it is an intense chapter. Huge shout out to Whatabummer for halting his life while he fixes my story, and to Calidain for helping me tweek my ideas and fixing my off phrasing! I'm still learning how to best write and craft a story, so be kind :) 
> 
> Enjoy, and it all belongs to Disney, not me… For now.

The branches of the large sycamore trees rustled as the evening wind blew through the vacant street. At the end of the block stood a pastel yellow house with a white picket fence, the porch swing sitting under the window. Inside the house, Lining the entryway, were various photos of a pair of Lynxes. The photos had no discernable order to them, but taken as a whole they told a story of a happy life. A photo of the two sharing a kiss as a crowd of people cheered around them, she in a dress and he a tux - their wedding. Photos of the two on vacation, at the beach, or just out in downtown Zootopia. A few photos showed extended family, parents and siblings smiling at the camera. The shelves and furniture in the house was filled nearly to bursting with mementos of a rich, full life.

And for a moment, Nick could almost forget about the two bodies behind him.

Stepping away from the photos, Nick took in the scene in front of him. “This is one elaborate murder…”

Bound with rope on either side of the living room sat the very same male and female Lynx that filled the photos on the walls, both with large daggers impaled into their hearts. The daggers were tied to ropes that held weights, and were wrapped around hooks in the ceiling. Judy stepped over to the male, leaning him forward. “He's got a four carved in his back.”

“So does she,” Nick said from across the room. “I don't understand, how do the numbers relate? Shouldn't one of them have a five on them?” 

“Maybe he's counting crime scenes and not body's?” Judy asked.

“Possibly. But that would mean we're missing two murders, and that our killer is counting out of order. Any idea what's up with the ropes on the daggers or the weights Carrots?” 

Judy shook her head and stepped back, tapping her foot. “Alright, let's walk through this from the beginning: So, our killer picks the lock to the front door while the Reynolds are out. He waits for them to get home and knocks them both out with some sort of blunt object - consistent with the last murder. He then drags them into the living room and ties them both up to chairs that he drilled into the floor on opposite ends of the room, where he's already rigged this… contraption. While he waits for them to wake up, he carves the number four into both of their backs. From there, it's a bit unclear how exactly this…thing worked.”

A short badger in a CSI jacket turned around, a clipboard in her paws. “I think I can answer that, detectives. The rig is simple, but effective; the killer tied one end of the rope onto a small loop, and placed it into Mr. Reynolds paw. On the other end of the rope is a dagger with a 20lb weight attached. That rope is then strung through a series of hooks that he drilled into the ceiling in such a way that if Mr. Reynolds let's go, the weight will cause the dagger to swing down and impale Mrs. Reynolds. He then set up the exact same thing for Mrs. Reynolds. It seems he woke them up, set the right, and left. What happened was the two would have been left beaten and bruised, but alive, holding these ropes, with the knowledge that if they let go it would kill their partner who would then release their own rope, killing them as well.” 

“Why go through all this effort of killing people so…dramatically?” Nick asked, glancing around the room. 

“Detectives? Mr. Reynolds phone… It was setup to record everything,” the badger said, handing the two the cell phone, the screen on and open to a video that was paused. Judy took the phone and looked up at Nick, taking a breath to steady herself as she hit play. 

The video on the screen was dark, and taken from the dining room, far enough away that you could see both mammals in the dim light. The quiet sounds of sobbing seep through the speakers.

“Ben? I…I can't move anything. I can't get out.”

“I know Liz, just breathe ok? Well get through this, just breathe.”

A few minutes pass on the video, the sounds of the chair creaking as the two mammals try to loosen the ropes. 

“I think ... I'm going to try and hold the rope with my teeth. Hopefully with a free hand, I can untie myself,” Ben said. 

The Lynx carefully bit down on the rope, his jaw muscles straining as he brought his now free paw over to work on the knot. A soft grunt was heard, followed by a gasp as the rope slipped from his jaw. The dagger began to fall, before coming to a quick halt as Ben grabbed the rope, slowly pulling the back down. 

“Damn it, that's not going to work,” he said, his arm quivering as he held the rope in place. 

“Ben?! Its starting to slip! It's too heavy!” Liz shouted, tears staining her cheeks, her paw shaking from the strain. 

Ben gazed at his wife, his eyes suddenly, preternaturally calm. “Liz hun ... listen to me babe - I need you to let go.” 

“What?! Are you crazy! No! That will kill you! I can't do that!” 

“I don't see way for us to both make it. Maybe if I twist the rope around my paw, maybe that can give you enough time to get free.”

The sobbing of Mrs. Reynolds pierced the speakers, the room silent, and eyes cast downwards. 

On the screen the young women shook her head. “I love you so much Ben. I can't; this isn't fair, you can't ask me to do this!” She said, her body shuddering as she cried. Her arm jerked up for a quick second, a shriek leaving her lips as she slowly pulled the rope back down. “No! No not yet!” 

“Elizabeth, darling. It's ok. I love you. I love you so much, and once your free, you can go get help, and once you've lead a full life, we can meet again … but you need to let go,” he replied, tears streaming down his face. “You've always been the better of this duo, stronger - you should get to live.”

“Ben! I can't I… No! There has to be another way! I couldn't live without you!. Please don't make do this,” she whispered. 

Ben slowly started to twist the rope around his paw. “Do you remember, after our last fight, what you said after I came back home and apologized?”

Liz nodded, her paw slipping slightly. “I told you… I told you that no matter what was said or done, that my wedding vows to you included the good and the bad.” 

“Nothing has changed since then sweetheart. But the till death do us part bit? Im changing that. I, Benjamin Reynolds, take you, Elizabeth Reynolds, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, but death doesn't part us. I'll always be with you love.”

With a heart wrenching shriek the rope slipped out of her paw. Liz thrashed in her seat, clawing at the ropes as she kicked and screamed. “Ben, you stay with me dammit! Don't you leave!” 

Ben's paw slowly went limp, the rope dragging his paw up before stopping abruptly, the twists Ben had made in the rope held it in place, though it was slowly unraveling. 

The Lynx kicked her feet, struggling against the ropes that bound her. With a tearful moan, she stopped her struggling, staring at her husband. “I, Elizabeth Reynolds, take you, Benjamin Reynolds, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, but death doesn't part us. I'll be with you soon love,” she whispered as the last twist of rope unraveled, the dagger falling, and a sick silence hung in the air. 

A moment later a dark shadow crossed in front of the phone, and. A gloved paw ended the video. Judy placed the phone on the counter and headed out the door without a word. 

“Give us a moment,” Nick said, following after Judy. 

The crisp night air whipped through Judy's ears as she leaned against railing on the porch. “I'm sorry, I just needed a moment.”

“No one could blame you for that,” Nick replied, standing next to her. “Alison's crime scene was rough. What we just watched was horrifying.”

“I saw us in that video, Nick,” she said, breaking the silence. “I couldn't imagine being in that situation, my weaknesses causing your death.” Judy wiped her eyes. 

“Well then it's a good thing you don't have any weaknesses, isn't it?” He replied, wrapping his arms around her.

Judy chuckled and pulled away, smiling up at Nick. “Just you ... but you're also my strength.”

Nick smiled, gently kissing his wife on the top of her head. “You sure you’re OK Judy?” 

Judy sighed, closing her eyes as she nodded. “Yes, enough to get the job done. I just needed a second away from it to clear my head. Let's go see what connections we can find to Alison and catch this freak.”

“That's my Carrots” he replied, stepping back inside.

Back inside the pair turned left down a narrow hallway and found themselves in the master bedroom. A bay window on the far end with a plush cushioned chair created an inviting looking reading nook. The walls where a cream colored white, and photos of the two Lynxes were hung methodically around the room. On either side of the bed stood matching end tables, with personal items adorning the top. Nick picked a romance novel up from one of the end tables, scanning the back. 

“So Mr. Reynolds owned the ice cream parlor down on Olive Street, and Mrs. Reynolds was a social worker. Both were regarded as extremely friendly and kind individuals. So how do they fit in with Alison's murder?” Nick wondered aloud. 

Judy started to shuffle through the drawers of the dresser. “Well, one of Mrs. Reynolds clients was the Sahara Square school district, so in the very least she somewhat of a tie to Fremont High. It's not a direct line to Alison, but it is something.”

Nick sighed, sitting at the bay window and looking out at the quiet night. “There's something more to these murders. The brutality and complexity, it has to be more than a crime of passion.”

“I agree. It seems a bit premature to call it a serial killer with only two crime scenes, but I would bet on it,” she replied. 

“So we start approaching this as such. If we're lucky, we figure it out before they kill again,” Nick said, his paws rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

Judy closed the dresser drawer, leaning against it as she chewed on her lip. “If we're saying serial killer, let's talk victimology. Why these people?” 

“Felines? All three victims were felines species. They were also similar ages, so that could be part of his criteria,” Nick replied. “And what about the numbers carved into their backs? That has to be of some significance.”

Judy glanced at the clock on the nightstand as she shook her head. “I don't see the connection. I think we should wrap up here and head out. It's almost midnight and we've been working since 9am. We can continue brainstorming and checking information tomorrow with clear heads.”

Nick let out a yawn, shaking his head as he grunted in agreement. “I'm not going to say no to that. We can review what the CSI team finds tomorrow. Coffee can only sustain me for so long.”

“I'm pretty sure you bleed coffee at this point.” 

“Greatness always has a price, sweetheart.”

 

Judy walked through the doors of the Robbery and Homicide division, a tray with two coffees in one paw and a bag of pastries in the other. Stepping up to her desk, she placed the coffees down and handed Nick the bag, leaning against the desks next to him. In front of the two was a giant white board, with photos of the victims hanging from magnetic clips. Written in black below the photos where various facts Nick had deemed as important, and to the right of that was a map of Zootopia, the crime scenes pined with bright red stickers. 

“Finally brought the murder board out, huh?” Judy asked, sipping her coffee. 

“Yup. Too much information to sort through trying to figure out what was relevant and what wasn't. Ages are similar so that goes on the board. So does species. Financial status doesn't seem to matter so that's left off for now. Then we have a map of the two - Alison lived on Elm, and the Reynolds lived 4 miles away on Troop street. So far, not a very large comfort zone, which could be a good thing, as that could be a smaller area we have to search to find our suspect,” Nick replied, his ears flicking as he stared intently at the board. 

“What about occupation?” 

“I didn't add that; we have a teacher, a social worker, and an ice cream shop owner. Teacher and social worker could be connected, but that would mean Mr. Reynolds’ murder was a murder of chance, which doesn't seem likely considering how elaborate that knife rig was. His ice cream shop was a few blocks away from Fremont High, but according to all our records about Alison, she never visited it, so there’s no obvious connection.”.

“Maybe …” Judy said, sounding unconvinced. “But if you look at it in a slightly different way it could be connected. Alison was a teacher at Fremont high, so she dealt with the students at the school. Liz was a social worker, and one of her contracts was with the Sahara Square school district, which would include Fremont High. And Ben worked down the street from Fremont, so he probably served a number of the students. It could all be coincidental, but all 3 victims interacted with the students in some way.”

“While I agree teens can be moody and unbalanced - not that I ever was of course - but I’m having a hard time imagining a high-schooler having the ability to pull off such complex murders. 

“Maybe not a teenager … maybe, but for whatever reason, our killer is targeting people whose jobs deal with them. Though, it could also be a coincidence. Saying that Ben Reynolds worked with high schoolers is a bit of a stretch,” Judy conceded.

Nick passed a folder over to Judy. “CSI file. Nothing surprising here. Same bleach used as Alison, same kind of rope. Still no fur or paw prints on anything. I honestly feel like we added two bodies, but no new evidence. Normally the elaborate murders are drowning in evidence, but our killer somehow pulled off two without leaving a trace.”

“We aren't at nothing Nick. They may not have left much in the way of physical evidence, but every detail about the case is a piece of the puzzle. And puzzles are always hardest at the beginning. We've found the edge pieces. We know we have killer who is targeting certain people according to a criteria he has set. We know they’re strong, smart enough to execute on complex plans, and we know that they’re numbering the victims. We don't know much of the why's or the details, but we'll get there. You don't kill three people without leaving any evidence. We just haven't seen what it is yet.”

Nick shrugged and reached for a cup of coffee, “You and your undying optimism - can’t you at least try to be a pessimist for once?”

Judy laughed and playfully punched Nick.

“I propose we finish setting up the murder board, and call it an early night,” she said. “We've been working practically non stop since we got this case. Maybe a small break and some fun will let us view the pieces better.”

“No arguments here. How does Finnick’s for dinner sound tonight?” 

Judy grinned as she took a seat. “It sounds like you'll be losing at another round of pool.”

“If I recall, the last two rounds we've played, I've been the champ.”

“I let you win so you wouldn't pout.”

“Pout? I don't pout! 

“Are you pouting about me saying you pout?” 

“No, but what I am saying is - put your money where your mouth is rabbit. Winner tonight picks the next three movies for movie night.”

Judy grinned, shaking his paw. “You're on!”

“Dumb bunny,” Nick mumbled as he chuckled, turning on his computer. 

“You'll be calling me a dumb shark after we play tonight.” Judy said, smirking. 

“Excuse me, detectives?” a voice said from behind Nick. 

“Freddy! What can we do for our favorite tiger techy?” Nick said, turning his seat around. 

The lanky tiger that unlocked Alison's phone stopped in front of the two detectives, a folder in his paws. 

“I was scrubbing through the security of cams that are set up around Alison's building. I think I might have found something: This was captured by at the convenience store on the corner at 11:18pm,” he said, sliding a photo onto the desk. 

Nick picked it up, studying the photo. It was dark and grainy, lacking detail, but walking down the sidewalk carrying a black duffle bag was a hooded mammal in black pants and a dark green hoodie, the Savanna Central Community college logo barely visible. The hood was raised, a equine shaped muzzle barely visible in the dark photo. Nick stood up and clipped the photo to the board, grabbing a marker and writing “possible suspect” under the photo. 

“Well well - we may not be moving fast, but we are moving,” Nick said, turning to grin at Judy. 

Judy leaned back in her chair, nodding in agreement. “Told you we'd find more pieces.”

 

Sitting on the corner of a street in the heart of downtown Zootopia stood a dimly lit building. The dark green wood paneling was maintained and fresh, and the neon red sign above the entrance read ‘Finnick's Bar and Grill.’ Inside the bar, the lighting was a soft and dim yellow, like something straight out of a movie. Along the far right sat the bar itself, with bar stools of adjustable height. A few actual tables and booths were spread throughout the middle of the bar, and to the left were a few pool tables. At the very first pool table, Nick leaned against the table behind him, watching as Judy lined up her cue stick for the brake. 

“Are we calling pockets?” she asked as the balls split across the table. 

“Just the eight ball.” Nick replied, lining up his shot. 

“You used to be a con-mammal … Was being a pool shark one of the cons you didn't do?” 

“Despite what the movies show, becoming a skilled pool player isn't something you can just pick up because you run cons. I tried it out, and I learned how to play, but it was never good enough to be considered a shark. Now Fin on the other hand…” 

“Speaking of, you think he'll be much longer?” 

“Hard to say, full inventory of a place this big could take a while,” Nick replied as he sunk the 11 ball. “I've got stripes, you have solids.” 

Judy took a sip of the ale in her paw as she watched the cue ball fall into the pocket. “Oof. Scratch their, Slick. Pass the ball over.”

Nick frowned, taking the ball out of the pocket and gently tossed it over to Judy. She placed the ball on the table, and lined up her shot, sinking the 6. 

Thunk 

“That's only because you got a free placement,” Nick said grumbling. 

Thunk 

The 2 ball sunk into a pocket on the far end of the table. Judy smirked as she leaned against the cue stick. “And that one?” 

“That one was luck. Rabbits foot and all that. Besides, it's still early in the game. I'd be concerned if you didn't make any. You’re bad, but not that bad.”

Judy pulled back and lined up the pool cue, quickly jabbing the ball, sending it flying across the table, bouncing off the far end before rolling back, knocking the purple four ball and yellow one ball into the pocket. 

Thunk Thunk 

Nick stared at Judy, his eyes small slits as he frowned. “Did Finn rig the table for you?” 

“AHAHAHAHA All these years and she's still hustling you!” The booming voice of Finnick reverberated across the bar as the small dusty furred fox hopped over it and walked towards the two. “How many has he made kid?” 

“One and he scratched,” Judy replied grinning. 

“We'll shoot the dam eight ball so we can head to counter and get some drinks and chat. I gotta keep an eye on the rowdy ones up there,” Finnick replied. 

“It's not time for the eight ball, she still has 3 left to make,” Nick protested. 

“She has yet to miss a shot. Consider it a mercy rule. Both for you and for me, it's torture watching you get slaughtered.”

“Come on Nick. All or nothing, and you can pick the pocket,” Judy said, smiling up at him with large eyes. 

“You know, if you hadn’t been dead set on this whole ‘let’s go be super-cops’ thing, we could have brought you into the hustling game and we'd all be relaxing on a private yacht by now,” Nick said shaking his head. “Alright, eight ball…. Far right corner pocket.”. 

Judy studied the table. The cue ball was sitting at the bottom of the table in front of her, the green striped 14 ball sitting right in front of it. Leaning over the table, Judy lined up the pool cue, aiming at the base of the ball. With a quick flick of the wrist, the cue ball popped over the 14 ball, and immediately spun to the right upon landing. 

Thunk 

“And that's game,” Judy said, hanging the pool cue against the wall. 

Nick shook his head as he re-racked the balls. “OK, what the hell, you were not that good a month ago.”

“The look of shock on his face is pretty great,” Judy said as she fist bumped Finnick, sitting on one of the bar stools. “It's called a hustle sweetheart. I told ya I was a shark.”

“You took lessons from Finnick,” Nick said, taking a seat next to Judy. 

“Yes and no. We had a pool table when I was a kid, remember? My dad taught me how to play as a kid - mostly because I refused to not be included when he and his friends were unwinding. When I got older, I enjoyed playing alone and using the time to think. And, not going to lie, I got pretty good.”

“I do remember you telling me about that... So what, you intentionally threw months of games just to con me?” Nick asked, unable to keep a hint of admiration out of his voice.

“Well, not exactly - I became super rusty after not playing for a while when I first moved to Zootopia. Then a few months ago, during that week where you were going through your firearms recertification, I was working half days helping the new recruits. I spent the other half here with Finnick brushing up on my pool skills.”

Finnick grinned as he tossed the rag over as shoulder and crossed his arms. “Best damn student I ever had. Made you look like a fumbling idiot … but that’s nothing new.”

Nick playfully made an obscene gesture at the fennec as he finished his beer, sliding the empty glass over the bar. “Ya, I was never going to become a professional pool player, we all knew that.”

The sound of glass shattering on the other side of the bar caused everyone to turn around, their eyes settling on a Zebra and a Beaver squaring off angrily. 

“Aye! You better be buying me a new one you moron!” the zebra shouted. 

“Me?! You're the idiot that left your beer sittin’ on the edge of the table!” the beaver replied. 

“HEY! Frank, Ian, knock it off before I came over there and knock some sense into you myself! Frank, I'll get you another beer,” Finnick yelled, pointing his baseball bat at the two. 

“Sorry Fin,” the two apologized before quieting down. 

Judy turned back around in her seat and paused in surprise. Sitting in front of her was a handwritten note addressed to the Zootopia Police Department. 

“Hey Nick? Finnick? Did you guys see who left this?” Judy asked, unfolding the note. 

Both foxes shook their heads, staring inquisicly at the note in her paws. Written on black ink was the number ‘851’, and below it a single sentence in neat handwriting: “The devil is not as black as he is painted.”

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he looked up from the note. “I have no clue what that means.”

“Is it related to the recent murders you think?” She asked, folding the note up and handing it to Nick. 

Nick placed it in his wallet, shaking his head. “It could be. Could also be some weirdo playing a joke on us.” 

“I'll check the security cameras, but honestly they don't pick up much. It's more to stop people from tryin’ anythin’ than to actually be security. Nobody’s dumb enough to start crap at a bar the ZPD goes to.” Finnick replied as he slid two more glasses down to the two. 

“Thanks Fin. We can leave it for tomorrow. We have enough we need to sort through,” Nick said, finishing up his second beer. “You ready to head home you grifter?” 

Judy nodded, setting her glass down and thanking Finnick. 

“Have a good night you two. And stay safe.” He replied, the door closing behind the two as the fox scanned the room, but nothing seemed out of place. He sighed and wiped down the counter before heading to the back of the store.


	7. One Thread to Pull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All that's needed is one Thread to pull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait again. Life pulled a sucker punch on me. I do want to say that I never really thought about writing a story before. Then I got the idea so I tested it with a chapter and loved writing it. I'm still trying to become a skilled writer, so thank you for sticking with it! I appreciate all the comments and kind words, and I hope you are all enjoying the ride! Huge shout out to Whatabummer for his contribution as my editor, and Calidain for allowing me to bounce ideas off them. Comments are always welcomed!

“Zip code?” Judy asked, staring at the 3 digits written on the whiteboard. 

“Too short. Zip codes are 5 digits. Could be an area code though. Do any of the victim's’ phone numbers start with 851?” Nick responded. 

Judy double checked the numbers written in the files for each victim. “Nope, all 3 are different, but none are 851. How about an address?”

“It's definitely possible, but why leave just the address number with no street. There has to be hundreds of 851s throughout Zootopia.”

“Maybe we don't need to look at all of Zootopia. All 3 murders have taken place around the Sahara district. How many 851s are there in the Sahara district?”

Nicks paws clacked against the keyboard as filtered the results. “I have two addresses in the Sahara District. One is a Buga Burger on Main Street, and the other is a sushi place in a strip mall. I say we check out that sushi place for lunch.”

“So basically we have nothing on what 851 means or how it could be related to our case,” Judy said.

“We have to give thought that maybe it means nothing. It could be a joke, or maybe it's not related because whoever slipped us this just wants us to waste our time in clues that lead to nowhere,” Nick replied. 

Judy sat back down at her desk and groaned in frustration, rubbing her temples. The feeling of frustration evident as she thought back to the crime scenes, trying to pick out anything that might lead them somewhere. “We have nothing else to go on. This guy isn't even leaving fur strands! How the heck do you murder three people and not leave a strand of fur to find? It's like we're chasing a ghost.”

Nick reached across the table and squeezed Judy's paw. “We're going to get him. He's not perfect, he will make mistakes, and we will use those mistakes to catch him. We just need to find the right thread, give it a good tug, and the entire thing will unravel.” 

Nick stood up and walked over to the whiteboard, turning it around to the blank side. He knew that when they started to felt out matched the best course of action is to review what they did have. Picking up a marker, the gears in his brain started to turn as he recited what information they did know. “We have two crime scenes and three murders. Each one of them gives us some sort of information about who we are dealing with. For example, looking at Alison's murder we know that whoever killed his has to be strong, as they were able to slice through her stomach and carry her around the apartment after knocking her out,” he said, writing the word ‘strong’ in black ink on the board. 

Judy stood up and picked up another marker. “We also know that he's organized. He had everything he needed for Alison's murder ready to go, including cleaning supplies. He's also smart as he's been able to avoid leaving any physical evidence.”

“He knows his way around tools. He built that entire rig for the Reynolds from scratch. That also tells us he's smart,” Nick replied, jotting the information on the board. “An equine is very possible based on what information we have so far. We should work the Community college angel. It’s just a possibility, but it's still something to follow up on. 

“Crossing searching all equine students enrolled at Savannah Central Community College will give us a huge list, especially since we have no clue when we has even enrolled.”

“We don't… but the office at SCCC might,.” Nick said, studying the photo of the hooded suspect. “Those hoodie designs change pretty much every year. Maybe not by a ton, but enough that it's noticeable. Maybe one of the office workers down at the college could recognize what year this hoodie is, and give us a starting time frame.”

“Also, I went and ran the nitrogen tank’s serial number again. Now we didn't have the full serial number, but I was able to compile a list of people that had bought tanks that had serial numbers that matched the partial number we have. I came up with a list of 27 names. It's at least shorter then the hundreds of names we had earlier,” Judy said, sliding the list across the desk. “I haven't been able to dig through the list in detail, but at first glance they all seem to be legitimate businesses.”

“Well would you look at that!” Nick said after studying the list for a minute, tapping a claw on a name near the end. “This guy - Luke Martin. He's listed as the owner of Discount Tech. Could you pull up a photo of him?” 

Judy typed the necessary information into her computer before turning it around, displaying a photo of Pine Marten in a sleek fitting business suit standing in front of a store front. 

“Your list may have just paid off,” Nick said with a smile. “Luke Martin is a name I recognize from when I was young and hustling. He runs multiple ‘businesses’ that are really a front for him to people to sell items on the black market. I'd bet that nitro tank that he bought was then sold to our killer. He may even have met him himself … and best of all he owes me a favor.”

“So it looks like our day has been planned. We'll go to the university, see what we can get there, then head to see Luke,” Judy said, standing up. 

“Yes. And get lunch somewhere in-between there.”

“Males … always thinking with your stomach. You should try using that brain in your head every once in a while,” Judy said as she tossed the keys over to Nick. 

Nick easily caught them, sticking his tongue out at the smirking rabbit. “You see the brain is a muscle, and I work it out a lot. But you need rest days after workouts!”

“When will there be a rest day for my patience? You’re constantly having me exercise that.”

“You know Carrots, words can hurt,” Nick said. 

Judy plucked Nick’s sunglasses off the dashboard, flicking them open and on to her face. “Shut up and drive slick.” 

“Yes ma'am,” Nick replied, starring Judy down as he started the car. “I expect those back in perfect condition you know.”

“Some people are so touchy,” Judy said with a smile as the car took off down the street. 

 

 

Savannah Central Community College was a large modern campus that sat in the center of downtown Savannah Central. The campus was built around several large open spaces, filled with students of all species and sizes, mingling about in groups or moving from building to building. The campus was new, with sleek modern buildings raised up against the crisp blue sky, their bases shaded by large trees whose leaves were turning vibrant shades of amber and crimson. The campus was one of the busiest places in the city, serving almost 25,000 students each year. It was built in such away to allow species of all sorts to learn in the same classroom, a true testament to the core ideals of Zootopia. 

The pair of detectives made their way down the main corridor of the administration building. The staff was busy, with multiple mammals moving around the room to the universal rhythm of office work . Judy approached an older rabbit at the front desk typing something into a computer, a pair of glasses resting on her muzzle.. If not for the other rabbit’s dark brown fur, Judy could have sworn she was the spitting image of an aunt of hers. Sitting on this other rabbit’s desk, surrounded by papers of all sorts, was a nameplate that read “Mrs. Tip” The older rabbit turned as Judy approached. “How can I help y’all?” The rabbit’s accent was slight, but Judy recognized it immediately; Mrs Tip was clearly from the Downs west of Bunnyburrow. 

“Good morning, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD,” Judy said with a bright smile. “We're here because we have a suspect in an ongoing investigation that was seen wearing an SCCC hoodie. We were hoping that perhaps someone here would be able to tell us what year the hoodie is from based on the design, possibly allowing us to narrow down where to search a bit more.” Judy held out the photo to the rabbit.

“Oh goodness,” Mrs. Tip said. “I will be no help with that at all, each year blends into the next for me! But if you go down the hall to room 105, you'll find the student store. Jamie has run the student store for years, and I would bet that she would be able to help you two!” 

“Thank you very much ma’am,” Nick said as he took the photo back from the rabbit. With a wave the two walked out of the office, and further down the hallway. Picking out the student store was easy, and the two were greeted by an overwhelming amount of green and white, the colors of the campus displayed on everything from shirts to keychains. 

“Hi there, what can I help you two with?” A voice said from the right of the two detectives. Turning towards the counter the two found a deer decked out from head to toe in spirit gear. 

“Jamie? Detectives Hopps and Wilde, ZPD. We were directed your way by Mrs. Tip - she told us you might be able to help us identify what year the hoodie in this photo is from,” Judy said, showing the deer the surveillance cam photo. 

She reached across the counter, taking the photo and studying it. “It has to be either two or three years ago. The design we used on the arm was circular both years, so I can't say exactly which year it is, but hopefully that narrows it down enough to help.”

“Well it certainly beats looking through the last ten years!” Nick said, taking the photo back.”Anything else you can tell us that might help us ID the student?”

“Unfortunately there’s nothing else I can really tell from the photo,” the deer replied apologetically. 

“What you gave us is a great help! We very much appreciate it,” Judy replied, offering a paw. 

With a final goodbye, the two walked out. A feeling of contemplative comfort overtook the pair as they walked down the long bright hallway, lost in thought. With a year range to go on, the two felt slightly more optimistic than they did earlier, even if it wasn't a definitive suspect name. With more digging and research, they were sure to have one soon. 

Nick pushed the door to the hallway open, stepping back into the midday sun. “Wanna head to the coffee shop for lunch? I could use a caffeinated pick me up on top of food.” 

“Sounds like a great idea to me,” Judy replied. 

 

The café was bustling during the afternoon rush, with mammals of all sorts stopping in to fuel up and re-energize for the day. Near the back of the Café, in a small dimly lit booth sat Nick and Judy. 

“It does narrow the amount of people we have to look through. Brings it down from a few thousand to a few hundred at least,” Nick said, stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth. 

Judy nodded, lost in thought as she sipped her latte. “True. But that's still a ton of mammals to sort through.”

“But if Luke was the one that sold the nitro tank, he might be be able to give us enough to reduce that list even more.”

The two fell into a silence as they ate, the sounds of the busy coffee shop filled the air. 

“So Cotton is going to be in the Carrot Day Festival talent show this year. She won't tell her parents what she's doing, but Cyn said she would make sure some on videos it for us,” Judy said. 

“Oooo we might finally have something that tops your production of blood and death!” 

“Nothing will top my production if blood and death. It'd be one of the great Broadway productions of the modern age if I hadn’t decided to become a cop you know.”

“Excuse me, police?” A small voice interrupted. 

The two turned to see a young fox kit, no older than six. 

“Hi, ya. I saw your badges.” he said, pointing at the badge on Nick's hip.” “I need you to arrest my brother. He's a liar. He said he was going to buy me a treat then didn't.”

“Kyle? Hey, you can't just walk off like that, that's dangerous,” said a young adult fox, walking over. 

“I assume you're the older brother I'm supposed to arrest,” Nick said, twirling a pair of cuffs in his paws. 

“Oh geez Kyle, I can't take you anywhere,” he replied, rubbing his temples. “I'm sorry officers…” The fox's eyes widened as he stood up, his eyes meeting the two detectives. “Oh my god, you're Nick Wilde. And you're Judy Hopps.”

“That would be me yes. I'm sorry, have we met?” Nick asked, tilting his head as he tried to remember the face. 

“No sorry, let me explain. Our dad lost his job during during the night howler scare … we had some rough times as a family. But while we watched the news coverage of how you two stopped Bellwether and helped cure all those mammals, my dad pointed at the screen - at you.”

Judy glanced over to see Nick’s usual look of bemused detachment slip into genuine surprise.

“My dad said you were a hero, Officer Wilde. And I guess …” the fox trailed off, looking a bit sheepish. “Well, I guess it made me want to be a police officer. I've been accepted into the academy for the spring semester.”

“Oh that is fantastic to hear! It's going to be challenging, but if you put in the work, I'm sure you'll ace it!” Judy said. 

“Thanks, it means a lot to hear that from you. I've spent my whole school career working towards this goal. I feel ready for it.”

The fox glanced over at Nick, who swallowed thickly for a moment before sliding back into his usual charm.

“Well I know we'll be keeping an eye out to see your name on the graduation list. What's your name?” Nick asked. 

“Julian Trot. We should probably get out of your fur, but would it be OK if I got a picture with you two?” he asked. 

“Of course!” Judy said, taking the phone from the fox. Turning it sideways, Judy snapped a few quick photos before handing it back to Julian. 

Nick leaned down, tapping the youngest fox's chest. “You know your brother is going to need your help to make it as a police officer, it isn't an easy thing to do. You be sure to keep an eye on him OK?” 

“Yes sir,” the kit responded, giving a small salute and standing at attention. 

“Good. I expect to see you at Precinct 1 after your graduation. Just, try your best not to die. The weekly live ammunition tolerance training took a few from my class,” the fox said in an overly somber tone. 

A small grey paw smacked the foxes shoulder as he let out a quiet snicker. The rabbit rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Don't listen to him. You'll do fine. When it gets rough, just remember why you're doing it, that's the most important part.”

With a final thank you, the two younger foxes left. “He reminds me a bit of a bunny I know,” Nick said, sipping his coffee 

“Funny, I was just about to say that he reminds me of a fox that I know.” she shit back with a smile. 

“Perhaps he's a nice mixture of the two. Definitely watch for his name on the graduation list. He's going to go far. Now, If I remember correctly, we have a clue to follow.”

 

 

Discount Tech was nestled in the back corner of a busy strip mall. The neon letters above the store were dated at best, the window decals advertising services such as phone repairs and hard drive restoration. The smell of dusty old electronics filled the pairs noses as they walked into the store, stopping to glance around at the decade old electronics around them.

“Hey Carrots, check it out! It's one of the original iCarrot computers. Remember how they used to have the neon see through colors on the sides?” Nick said, shuffling the computer around as he looked at it. 

“Oh that's a flashback! I remember when they installed these the year it came out in our school computer lab when I was in 1st grade. I was so excited to use it because I had seen my next door neighbor using it to draw on some program and I thought it was the coolest thing,” Judy replied. 

“Now why did you gave to go and make me feel old?” Nick asked, furrowing his brows. “I was in high school the year these were released.”

“Sorry about the wait folks, what can I get for you?” 

The pair turned around and was greeted by a short pine marten in a nice looking suit. 

“Luke Martin, you old fossil - look at you! You’ve come a long way from running your shop out of the warehouse down by the docks.”

“Nick! It's been ages!” the marten said, shaking Nick’s paw and leaning in conspiratorially. “Rumor has it your wearing blue now. Made a clean cut and an honest living?”

“You heard right. It's partly why I'm here actually. We're investing a murder, and we have a lead. It's a partial serial number from a nitrogen tank that matches one you sold not too long ago,” Nick replied, handing the marten the serial number and recipient of purchase. 

“Dammit, I knew he was crazy,” he muttered to himself as he checked the paper. 

“Look, Luke. We're homicide detectives, not Vice. Nick says you don’t sell anything worse than Nip, so frankly we don't care about your little operation here. We just want the information to help bring to justice and the murder of a young high school English teacher,” Judy said, showing a photo of Alison to Luke off her phone. 

The marten closed his eyes and sighed, “Fine, but only because we have a history Nick. I did sell a tank matching the partial here. The dude was off somehow, creeped me right out - and that's saying something as I'm used to working with all kinds of unsavory sorts. He seemed pissed off, and I heard him mumble something about needing to move to the next level.”

“The next level? Maybe he was doing minor crimes before he killed Alison. Maybe we can find something from digging in public records?” Judy suggested. “Did you happen to get his name or anything like that?” 

“Look, when I'm selling items to people who don't want others to know they are buying said items, I've found it best not to ask any unnecessary questions,” the marten responded. 

“Could you describe him for us at least?” Nick asked, clicking his pen. 

“He wasn't anything super special. Big, over six feet, pretty stocky. He was wearing all black if that helps. As far species goes, I'm pretty sure he was a donkey.”

Nick grinned as he finished scribbling, turning towards Judy. “Looks like we got ourselves a species. Thanks Luke. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions.”

The two detectives walked back out into the bright Sahara sun, their spirits higher then they were that morning. “You know, it makes sense that the killer is a donkey,” Nick said as he pulled his sunglasses out of his coat pocket. 

Judy grimaced and sighed. “I'm going to regret asking this, but why does it make sense?” 

“Because,” Nick said, sliding his sunglasses on as he grinned, “This case has been a real pain in the ass.”


	8. Tater Tots and Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We inch ever closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all…. It's been a bit longer then I wanted it to be. The holidays were stupid busy at work and I barely had time to sleep let alone write! Plus we got a puppy. Did you know they wake up every four hours to pee? Anyway, I'm hoping to get back on schedule with regular updates, at the very least one every other week. Feel free to leave feedback and comments below! As always huge shout out to Whatabummer for editing my trash into something semi readable. 
> 
> I don't own zootopia. Obviously.

“203,” Nick said, sighing as he turned towards Judy. 

“203? That's not….terrible,” she said with a meek smile.

“No it's not - 203 mules over a two year span at Zootopia's largest community college is far from surprising. But that's still a hell of a lot of mammals to sort through,” Nick grumbled. 

“I'm sure we could narrow it down further. Are any of them still enrolled?” Judy asked, resting her chin in her paws thoughtfully . 

Nick glanced at her quizzically, filtering through the system. “Looks like 78 of them are still enrolled.”

Nick watched as the gears in Judy's head started to grind, her ears lowered in concertation, and her brows lowered. 

“Any of the have classes during the time period of the murder?” the rabbit asked. “If we can verify they attended, we can narrow our list down.” 

Nick checked the class schedules supplied to him through the collage database they had been granted access to. Normally the officers would have had to file a formal request for access to the database, but Nick was able to circumvent the paperwork; Judy really shouldn’t have been surprised, but it turned out the Dean was a friend of Nick’s from way back and still owed the fox a favor. 

“It looks like 43 of them have classes during at least one of the murders, and of that it looks like 40 were marked as present… so that’s those knocked off the list for now. Smart bunny!” Nick said with a proud grin.

“Thanks, but 163 is still a fair amount, we need to get this list smaller,” she replied frowning. 

Nick leaned forward, rolling his neck to ease the strain in his tensed muscles as he continued to sort. “We can sort through the list and look at current addresses. Any one that moved out of the district we can probably nix for now. It's not likely that anyone is traveling hours back to murder people… Though that would be a genius forensic countermeasure,” Nick mused as he waited for the page to load. “It looks like 62 have moved outside of a 75 mile radius from Sahara square. I say we use it to narrow the list down for now and revisit those names if we can't find anything from those that are closer.”

“So that's half the amount we started with,” Judy said and sunk back into her chair with a small sigh. “What do you think, each take half and start digging through their credit card info and backgrounds? We can call up employers and find out if they were working during the murders, that would disqualify them from being a suspect.”

Nick shruged and nodded. . “It's going to be a boring day, isn't it?” 

“Police work can't be glamorous all the time,” Judy replied, taking a page Nick had printed and handed to her.

“That’s not what you told me after the Night Howlers thing,” the fox teased. “You made it seem like all car chases and shootouts … I should sue for false advertising!”

Judy giggled despite herself and gave Nick a playful punch on the arm. “Work first, spurious lawsuits later Slick.”

The minutes slowly turned into hours as the pair diligently worked, crossing off names as their digging paid off. Nick cracked his back as he sighed; the digging for information aspect had always been his least favorite part of police work. He hated sitting around - it made him feel idle, and anxious. The fox definitely preferred to get up and be on the move, but knew how important preparation was to pulling an operation off - be it a hustle or a case. Nick glanced over at Judy, envious of how easily she could stay concentrated as she crossed another name off her list. Despite her natural abundance of energy, Judy never seemed to be restless when having to do desk work. She threw herself into it with the same relish and vigor that she did to every other facet of police work. 

The rabbit nodded once before sitting back and sighing. “I was only able to cross off 17 names from my list.”

“I crossed off 14. So that's 31 more names gone, bringing us to a nice round total of 70 possible suspects. That's still a lot to canvas and interview,” Nick said, a hint of frustration in his voice. 

“But not impossible! Let's talk to Captain Slott and see if we can give some of these to the uniforms to canvas while doing their rounds,” Judy replied. 

The buzz of the phones intercom interrupted the two. “Hey Nick, Finnick’s here at the front. He says he has security footage from the other night for you,” Clawhauser said sunnily. 

“Thanks Spots. I'll be right up,” Nick said, standing up as he looked over at Judy. “Why don't you talk to the Captain, and I'll go see what Finnick found on his footage.” 

Judy nodded, her ears up and alert. “It won't be long. We'll catch him.”

Nick walked away, rushing through the double doors into the lobby of the Precinct. Standing on top of the receptionist desk, Finnick gave a curt nod, handing over a flash drive. “Here's the footage from the ‘otha night. It caught the guy that slipped ya the note. He's some sleezy lookin’ badger. I don't recognize him, but faces was always kinda your thing.”

“Thanks Fin. Hopefully it'll help us catch this crazy bastard,” Nick replied, taking the flash drive. 

“Say, I was talking to Benny here, and he mentioned that new place down the street makes a mean old fashioned. I got the evenin’ free, and I gotta make sure my bars better. You an’ Cottontail wanna grab some dinner and booze? This guy's already in,” Finnick said, nudging Clawhauser with his elbow. 

“First off, because I don't want to see you dead, I'll refrain from telling Carrots you called her that. Second, I'll check with her, but I don't see why not. If I don’t text you otherwise, why don’t we meet you guys there around seven-ish?” he asked, glancing at the clock sitting on top of the portly cheetahs desk. 

“Oh boy this is gonna be great! I'll make a reservation so we don't have to wait. Their food is greasy, but in the best kind of way - you'll just love it!” Clawhauser gushed, typing away on his phone. 

“It sounds like a plan Spots. I'll see you then Fin, I'm gonna take a look at this footage and see if I can recognize the badger. Don't forget your ID. We wouldn't want them bringing out the kids menu and highchair for ya,” Nick said, winking as he head back towards his desk. 

“You might be a cop, but I'll still kick your ass Wilde!” the fennec shouted back, a slight grin belying his irritation. Hopping down, Nick flicked his sunglasses on, a gesture purely for show in the dim precinct, giving the cheetah a lazy wave as he headed out. “See ya later Benny! 

A moment later, Nick walked around his desk holding the flashdrive out to Judy. “Here, Finnick said the guy is fully visible. How'd it go with the captain?”

Judy took the drive and plugged it in, nodding her head. “He's going to talk to the patrol captain, but he thinks they can have a few units canvas in-between their patrol routes… why do you have your sunglasses on?” 

“Everyone knows the only way to look cool when walking away is with your shades on. By the way, Finnick and Spots want to hit that new restaurant down the street after work around seven. You want to go?” 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Judy said, reaching over to take his glasses off. “As my English teacher use to say, only two people wear sunglasses inside; blind people and assholes, and you aren't blind.”

“Asshole is just a word uncool people use to describe cool people,” Nick said, tucking the glasses away. “Let's see what's on the flashdrive.”

Turning back to the screen, the two saw themselves sitting at Finnick's bar. Judy started the video, the grainy image of a badger crept into view. He quickly slid the note in front of Judy as she was distracted, before bolting out of the building. 

Judy frowned, rewinding the video and slowing it down, searching the face of the badger. “Dammit, it's too hard to clearly make out a face. Tell Fin he needs to get better equipment.” 

Nick studied the video, reaching over to pause it as badger turned slightly towards the camera. “His left ear is torn at the tip. I know him, his name is Jason Dunn. He's a small time crook, does lots of little odd jobs for hire.”

Judy shook her head and chuckled. “Geeze, you really do know everyone.”

“What can I say? I'm loved by all,” Nick replied with a smirk. “And here we have his home address. What do you say we pay him a visit?” 

“Lead the way Slick.” 

 

The cold streets in the outer Savannah district chilled Judy's feet as they approached a dilapidated looking building. Multiple windows were boarded up with large wooden slabs, and the concrete stairs leading up to the front door were chipped and cracked. Reaching up, she gave a tentative tug on the security doors, glancing at Nick upon finding them unlocked. 

“In a place like this, security comes in other forms than a lock on the door,” he said, responding to her unasked question before stepping inside. Bypassing the electronic directory, the two walked up the stairs to apartment 304.

Stepping up to the door, Judy fiercely rapped her knuckles against the door. “ZPD, Mr. Dunn! Open up!” 

A quiet muttering was heard in the other side of the door, and what sounded like furniture being moved before things went silent. Judy knocked harder, her foot tapping before she paused, her ears springing to attention. “Cheese and crackers, he's going down the fire escape Nick!” 

The two detectives bolted down the hallway, slamming through the stairs at the far end of the building. Taking them two at a time, they opened the door to the courtyard below, spotting the badger sprinting away from them. 

“ZPD! Jason, stop!” Judy shouted, dashing across the courtyard and jumping over a low cut bush, sliding around the corner of a building and snaking her way through the streets of downtown Savannah. 

Hot on her heels, Nick dodged a low hanging tree branch before side stepping around a few cubs playing hopscotch in an alley. “Keep on him Carrots, I'm gonna cut him off!” he shouted, skidding to a stop and taking off down an alleyway. Jumping off the wall, Nick grabbed at the top of the fence blocking his path, vaulting himself over and landing with a roll, before standing up and stopping at the edge of the alley. He raised his ears, listening to the approaching foot paws, before quickly sticking his arm out and clotheslining the distracted badger. “Gotta learn to check your corners!” Nick shouted, panting slightly. 

Judy slowed to a stop, reaching down to help the badger up. “Why did you run?” she asked, handcuffing the badger and pushing him against the wall of a nearby building. 

“Well, you see… you’re cops, and I'm what they call a criminal. So when I hear the cops knock on my door, I run,” the badger replied, breathing heavily to recover the wind Nick had knocked out of him. 

“He has your mouth Wilde,” Judy said, shaking her head. “Listen, I don't give a crap what criminal activities you were pursuing, I just want some questions answered about the note you slipped us.”

“The note? What's there to tell ya? I was told to give it to you in exchange for money, so I gave it to you and got some money,” the badger responded, looking up at the two detectives. “Nothin’ illegal … for once.”

“Yes but who gave you the money Jason?” Nick asked, clasping his paws together in frustration. “He definitely doesn't have my brain,” Nick said, scowling. 

“Issat Nick Wilde? Look, we never really crossed paths or nothin’, but I understand you got the chance to get outta the game. Good for you.”

 

Nick scowled and crossed his arms. “So?”

“So … some of us, never got that chance. So when someone calls me from an unknown number offering a fat stack of cash to do something that's not only legal but also pretty safe, I don't turn it down, and would never ask them for their name! You should know that much,” Jason replied, leaning back against the wall. 

“Is there anything you can tell us? This guy isn't some low level, easy going hustler. He's dangerous and needs to be taken off the streets,” Nick said, growling. 

“He's dangerous? How dangerous? You don't think he'll go after me do you?” the badger asked, his eyes widening as he sat up. 

“We can't discuss the details of an ongoing investigation, but at this time we have nothing to suggest you would be in danger. And if we did, we’d make sure you’d be safe. But the sooner we catch this guy, the sooner you don't have to worry,” Judy responded. 

The badger nodded vs adjusted his shoulders. “OK look, I don't have much that i haven't already told you. This dude was careful. But when talking to him I heard him muttering to himself. Something about nobody understanding his message without help. I thought it was odd, but I deal with odd people everyday.” 

“You think he was referring to the note? That We won't be able to figure out the note without someone's help? Maybe even his?” she asked, turning towards Nick 

“Or it could be that the note is the help, and his message is based off the mammals he's killing,” Nick replied. 

“Hey, you think you guys can let me go? I didn't actually do anything illegal and I got stuff to do.”

“Actually, the moment we yelled stop and you didn't, you were ignoring a lawful order from a police officer, which could fall under a misdemeanor of evading the police. However, I think I can let you off with a warning this time,” Judy said, unlocking the pawcuffs. “Next time the police tell you to stop, you do it, understand?”

“Yes ma'am,” the badger replied, rubbing his wrists before scurrying away. 

“At the very least, he gave us a tiny piece of the puzzle. Hopefully it pans out to be a bigger piece than it currently seems,” Judy said, walking back down the street towards the cruiser. “We should be just enough time to finish up all paperwork before meeting Finnick and Ben for dinner.”

“Oh joy, my favorite part of the job.” Nick deadpanned, climbing into the passenger's seat. “Let's get to it then, I'll need those cheesy tots and an old fashioned once we finish.”

 

 

 

“Hey, it's the murdah squad! Glad you guys finally made it!” Finnick shouted as Nick and Judy sat down at the table. The restaurant was packed, with animals filling every table, and old school pop filled the air from the speakers in the ceiling. Neon signs filled the walls on all sides, and a number of large screen TVs above the bar played a mixture of sports and old movies. Black and white checkered booths lined the walls of the place, with tables spread throughout the middle. A female otter wearing a shirt bearing the restaurants name stopped at the table next to them, the logo reminiscent of a vaguely familiar show Judy watched when she was really young. 

“They are really going for that nostalgia vibe here, aren't they?” Nick asked, climbing into the booth. “Almost everything here reminds me of my late teens and early twenties.”

“Sometimes I forget how much the age difference between us is, and then you remind me, and I realize that you really are old,” Judy said with a grin. 

“That's OK. You're contractually obligated to wash and feed me once I’m old and senile. I had it written into the marriage license before bringing it to the reception hall,” Nick said, stuffing some chips into his mouth. 

Judy sat there contemplating his words, a scowl resting on her face. “The sad thing is, I'm not so sure you didn't do that. I'm going to have to dig for the stupid thing and re-read it later.” She said, waving a paw over towards the waitress to order. 

“So was that video any help?” Finnick asked, taking a swig of his beer.

“Possibly. The badger on the tape was Jason Dunn. IDed him off his torn left ear.”

“That dude? How the hell do you remember that, you never even worked with the guy. We only ever saw him in passing.”

“I'm good with mammals. I see a face, I get a name, I remember them.” Nick replied, shrugging. “Besides, we never directly worked with him, but there was a period of time where we were running in the same circles for the most part,” Nick replied. “As far as it being helpful, that remains to be seen. He was able to give us a little bit of information, but it was almost as cryptic as the note itself. We're just hoping it clicks with something else and makes sense.”

The conversation paused as the waitress set down a few plates of food and drinks. Plates were passed, and food was dished out, with Benjamin commenting on what was the best part of each dish. 

“Officer fluff, I gotta ask. I noticed at the station that everything is still labeled as Judy Hopps. I thought ya’ll did that combination thing and went with Wilde-Hopps. At least that's what's on that fools credit cards and stuff,” the fennec said, popping a few fries into his mouth. 

Nick shot him a dirty look. “Are you using my credit cards to buy crap again?” 

“Nah, I just picked your pockets cuz I was curious. I put them all back, don't get your tail all flustered.”

“We did. After we were first married, we briefly tried to go by that at work, but it just got confusing. And in our work, confusing can mean dangerous. So we agreed that at work we'd go by our original names,” Judy explained. “Plus it never hurts to separate your professional and private identities.”

Ben chuckled as he leaned forward to snag a few more cheesy tots. “There was one person that would still call you two Wilde-Hopps, other than myself. Chief Bogo would use it when they were both in trouble, he said he liked it as it saved him time from yelling at them independently, and I would use it when talking about them cuz I thought it was adorable that they did that.”

“Is that why Buffalo-butt used our married name? I thought it was just a slip up. Somehow I'm both shocked and yet also completely not at the same time,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. 

The sudden ringing of both the detectives phones silenced the four friends. Sighing, the two looked up apologetically. Finnick reached across to take the drink from Nicks paws. “Looks like you won't be finishing this. I volunteer as tribute,” he said, before quickly shooting the rest. 

“Sorry guys, maybe we can reschedule for dinner at our place soon?” Judy said, scooting out of the booth. 

“Don't worry about it. You two go save the world. We'll be fine here,” Ben said, waving the two away. 

Nick and Judy walked away from the table, the fox sliding the screen up to answer the phone. “Wilde-Hopps here, what's up captain?” Nick asked, winking at Judy. 

“Sorry you two, but there's another body. We need you two in asap.”

Judy leaned into the phone and sighed. “We'll be there shortly sir.”


	9. Life's Breath is Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A serial killer emerges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like every other Wednesday might be more manageable for updates. My life has gotten really busy (mostly in a good way!) and I want to make sure what I'm writing is the best quality that I can and not rushed. If I can get one up early I will! I appreciate all the comments, and I always look forward to hearing what you guys think! Also if you have any theories I'd be happy to hear them. All of the big plot points were thought of before I even wrote chapter 1, so this does have a plan of some sort! As always, huge shoutout to Whatabummer for continuing to edit and help me improve. 
> 
> I still don't own anything.

The house was at the end of a dark cul de sac, bathed in the red and blue lights from the first responders’ vehicles. A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky as Nick and Judy's car rolled to a stop at the edge of the police barricade. Thunderous rainfall fell in sheets around them, engulfing the area and completely muffling the sound of anything else. This made the world seem smaller, somber - the city shrunk down to just a lonely dead-end street bathed in a flickering swirl of red and blue light. 

The two detectives stepped out of their car, huddled under a shared umbrella and approached the house, stopping in front of the large cape buffalo who loomed on the front porch. 

“Ah, Commissioner Bogo! What are you doing here at our murder?” Nick asked as he looked up at the taller mammal. 

“Detectives Wilde-Hopps, nice to see you two once again,” Bogo said with a curt nod of greeting. “I'm here to help introduce you to our ZBI liaison. As of tonight, our killer is officially classified as a serial killer.” Bogo turned to open the door to the house as he continued, “Our liaison should be here shortly, but know that he's coming strictly to help with the investigation, not to take it over. I expect him to be treated with respect. I'm looking at you Wilde.”

Nick made a mock show of being injured and said, “Who, me? I would never! Just ask Carrots - she knows I’m a changed mammal.”

“I’ll keep him in line sir,” Judy said rolling her eyes. “At least, enough to get the job done.”

Bogo shook his head and grunted, but even in the dark flickering light the two detectives saw the barest hint of a smile on the grizzled and greying buffalo’s muzzle.

Not a minute later, a nondescript black sedan pulled in front of the house, idling momentarily before shutting off. Out stepped a dark figure, its exact shape hard to discern in the dark and between the intermittent flashing of the emergency lights. As the mammal approached, it readily became apparent that it was slim raccoon, somewhere between Nick and Judy in size. The raccoon was wearing a heavy looking trench coat, the collar flipped up at an attempt to cut the biting wind. 

“Agent Baxter, welcome,” Bogo said, stepping up to shake the raccoon’s paw. “I was just mentioning to my detectives that you would be joining us. This is detectives Wilde and Hopps, two of our finest. You'll be working with them through this case.” 

“Thank you Commissioner, but please just call me Peter,” the raccoon replied with a smile, shaking paws with first Judy, then Nick. “Detectives, your reputation precedes you. Hopefully he's already told you that I have no plans of taking over your case. I'm here strictly in an advisory capacity to help you with my expertise in criminal pathology. Between what we already know as well as known behaviors that killers exhibit, I’m confident we can progress the case.”

“Yes he mentioned that. At this point, I think we're happy for any help that we can get,” Judy replied. 

“Hopefully I won't let you two down.”

Nick studied the raccoon as he talked, his gaze taking in the details of how he spoke and moved. He picked up on a slight twitch in his tail, his smile strained slightly, and how his paws fidgeted with each other nervously. Tucking this information away for later, Nick turned towards the door, cutting the conversation short. “Well Ringtail, now that you’re here, let's get this case going!”

The raccoon sighed and turned towards Judy. “He's a nickname guy isn't he?” 

Judy nodded, following close behind as they entered the house. “Yup. He has an odd aversion to using your real name unless he needs to. Don't worry, I can tell he's not entirely pleased with ‘Ringtail’. Expect a couple more to come your way as he tests them out.”

Bogo lead the group into the house and out of the rain. Nick lingered a few paces back, making careful observations of the details of the interior. The front door opened straight into the living room, a large plasma TV sat to his left above an extensive looking entertainment center, filled with various games and movies. Along the far wall sat an elaborate computer system, obviously setup for gaming. In the middle of the living room was a large dark blue couch, with leather recliners bookending either side. Nick noted that the space definitely suited that of a single male, if the lingering smell of instant ramen was any indication. 

Turning to the right, the four walked out of the room and through a small kitchen. The kitchen was sparse, the trash overflowing with bags of bagel bites and hot wings. 

“Eli Daniels. He was a 32 year old manager of a Beast Buy. He was single and spent a nice amount of time volunteering with the local boys and girls club. All of his bills are paid, and his neighbors only have nice things to say about him,” Bogo said, handing the file to Judy. “Time of death was about three hours ago. He wouldn't have been found for another day or two, except for the fact that his sister was stopping by to pick some stuff up,” Bogo said, handing the file to Judy. “Anything else that's needed should be in that file. I'll leave you guys to it,” he said, heading out of the room. 

Nick walked past the doorway to Eli's bedroom, frowning as the scene came into view. Tied to the bed was a middle aged camel, his shirt ripped open. Set up next to the bed stood an obviously homemade iv stand, with an empty bag sitting at the top. Two long tubes ran from the bag into the camels chest. 

“Well it's elaborate, the killer's at least consistent there. So what the hell is all this doc?” Nick asked, turning to the medical examiner - a whitetail doe who was scribbling notes on a clipboard while surveying Eli’s body. 

“Well to put simply, Eli's cause of death is drowning,” the examiner said with a weary sigh. “The empty bag at the top held water, and the two tubes ran down and were stabbed straight through his chest and directly into his lungs. The IV was then set to a medium drip, filling the poor mammals lungs with water until he died of asphyxiation.”

Agent Baxter stepped closer to the body, his eyes sharp and alert as he studied the crude homemade IV. “I reviewed all of the other scenes before coming here,” he said, “but it's still surprising how much time and energy our killer put into each murder.”

Judy slid a pair of latex gloves on, walking around the bed. “I'm assuming there's a number on his back?”

The M.E. nodded, turning the body over slightly to show the large number six carved into the camel's back, revealing a large gash on the back of his head as well. “It seems he was knocked out so the killer would have time to set up everything. More than likely, by the time Eli woke up, his lungs were already halfway filled.”

“That would explain the lack of any signs of a struggle. The poor guy was half dead before he even knew anything was happening,” Judy replied sadly. “Why don't we break up and check the house. I want to look for signs of forced entry, and see if anything else stands out to us. I'll take the living room, Nick you can check the kitchen, and Peter you can have the bathroom and closets. We can meet back here in a half-hour and check out the rest of the room together and discuss what we found.”

The two males voiced their agreement before heading off into different directions to start searching the house. 

 

A half hour later found the three back in the bedroom, looks of concentration etched on each of their faces. 

“You weren't wrong about the killer being meticulous. They don’t make many mistakes,” the raccoon said, leaning against the wall. 

“Once again, no sign of forced entry. What could they possibly be doing that would leave everyone with their guard down?” Nick pondered aloud. 

Judy shrugged. “He's gotta be using some sort of ploy.”

Peter stepped forward, his paws absently fidgeting with a pen. “I think to answer that, we'll need to dig for more information. I also think we can wait for the detailed reports till tomorrow. For now, I passed a diner on my here that looked amazing and I haven't eaten since this afternoon. If you guys want to join me, I could give you a bit of my background, and ways I'd like to help.”

“Oh you passed Julian's. Best nacho fries in all of Zootopia! What do you think Carrots? He seems to already know how to woo me,” Nick said grinning. 

“I definitely am interested in hearing about what exactly you specialize in. I think knowing what exactly you're looking for would us to grow as detectives. Plus, Nick still owes me a slice of carrot cake,” Judy replied. 

“Dam, I was hoping she would forget that…” Nick sighed, heading out of the bedroom. “We'll meet ya there Ringtail.”

The racoon grumbled as he picked up his phone, following the two. “Well, at least he didn’t go with ‘Bandit’ or ‘Sly’.”

 

Julian's was a quaint little diner sitting at the edge of Sahara Square. The interior was warmly lit and decorated in a retro 50s style, complete with booths made out of plush red pleather. Along the walls sat framed headshots, all signed by the actors in them, wishing the restaurant and owners well wishes. The walls themselves were a dirty yellow, with a neon clock hanging above the door. Along the far end sat eight bar stools in front of a low sitting bar, a case filled with cakes and pies sitting at the end. 

“So what is it exactly that you do?” Nick asked, picking at his nacho fries. 

“I'm trained to study behavior patterns in serial killers. Surprisingly, you can tell a lot based on where their victims lived, their methods of killing, and victimology. It's still a relatively new sciences, but we've been able to get as detailed as what their shopping habits are, or what they fear,” the raccoon explained. “I take a look at all the information that's presented, and based on statistics and scientific evidence of why certain people do certain things, I can deliver a profile. So for example, there was a case down south last year. Based on how the victims were killed, the victimology, the way he taunted the police, a profile was given of a male feline, in his mid thirties, never married, both parents dead, and probably worked in some sort of customer service related industry. The killer ended up being a thirty six year old jaguar, never married, that worked as a cashier at one of the local grocery stores.” 

“And you're telling me this is science? Because, no offense, that sounds like a load of crap. If you can tell that much about a killer from observing a crime scene, why wouldn't we use that all the time and just have less murders?” Nick asked. 

“Fewer Nick, not less,” Judy absent mindedly corrected. “But it is a good question - it sounds like the techniques you use would be extremely beneficial to local police.”

“Well the science behind it is…well, still in development you could say. It's not always that accurate. When given a profile, it's to act as a guide for what to look for, but that doesn't mean use it to rule suspects out entirely. As deeply rooted in science as it is, the one variable you can never plan for is how exactly a mammals brain works,” Peter frowned as he idly poked at a nearly finished piece of red-velvet cake with a fork. “Mammals are very complicated, so no predictions really holds true 100% of the time.”

The three mammals had been talking for the better part of an hour at this point, but Judy had noticed that Peter seldom made eye contact or looked directly at either of the two detectives. When asked about himself, he didn’t seem to have too much to say. He’d answer any question asked, but never elaborated on anything. And he always seemed to steer the topic of conversation back to their work or the case at hand.

Judy didn’t think that the racoon was trying to be unfriendly - indeed, it seemed like Baxter was very much trying to build a good working relationship with them by inviting them to dinner. If Judy had to guess, it was just that Peter seemed to be a bit nervous around the two detectives. Still, the racoon was amiable, clearly driven, and took his job and the case very seriously - traits Judy found very admirable. Nick too, if the knowing nod he gave Judy had been any indication.

“To give you an example of what I mean,” Peter said, continuing to explain. “Let’s say I have a killer that is killing by stabbing their victims 20, 30, maybe 40 times - now that usually is an indication of rage and what we would call overkill. Usually, nine out of ten times, for whatever the motive of the killer is, the victims they are choosing fuel this anger. But there's always that one out of ten that have other reasons for stabbing their victims as much as they do. So if I were building a profile, I'd say that the killer probably has a deep seated rage. Using that as guideline could help shift the priority of what suspects to look at, but should never be used rule them out.”

“So your profile is basically built around a bunch of educated guesses,” Judy said. 

“Precisely. Educated guess based on the scientific research of behavior,” Peter replied as he finished his slice of cake. “I plan on going over the case files and starting to build a profile for you two tomorrow.”

“I have to ask, how many profiles have you actually built yourself?” Nick asked, the answer seeming to already be known to the fox.

The raccoon looked over at Nick with a nervous smile. “Well I've assisted on a few, but honestly this is my first solo case. Is it that easy to tell?” 

Chuckling quietly, Nick shook his head. “You play the experienced part really well, but you could say my last job was based entirely around reading people, and it's a skill I can't turn off.”

“Perhaps you should consider a job as a profiler. I can promise that I'm ready to do this. I have four years of experience as a cop, two as a detective, and three years with the Bureau before being transferred to the behavioral unit with six months of training,” he replied a bit too quickly. 

“No one here is doubting your skill. You have obviously done your research and been trained thoroughly. We both understand what is like to be thrust into a big case not long after your training has ended,” Judy said. 

“Of course, the Nighthowler case. I followed every detail of that case, it was fascinating! Not long after that case, you two became partners, and eventually got married. I remember the news coverage celebrating zootopia's finest. You know, I can't say I've ever met a bunny and fox team, let alone two that are married. Was it a difficult road?” 

Judy chuckled, handing Nick a napkin as he finished the last of his fries. “Of course it has its challenges, but honestly it wasn't anywhere as tough as mammals make it out to be. Yes, predator-prey relationships aren't super common, but then again neither was a bunny or fox cop. There was the occasional whisper and a few jerks along the way, but most people were supportive, especially the ones that mattered.”

Nick pushed his plate away and sat back. “It was kind of a no-brainer for us anyway. After the Nighthowler case, we became best friends - there wasn’t anyone I trusted more. Judy helped pull me out from a bad place, and once I graduated from the academy we were together pretty much every hour we weren’t sleeping. Eventually we got sick of the places we lived at, with hers being literally the size of a shoebox, and mine being an hour train ride into work, that we started apartment hunting together. I’m sure everyone in the department took that as evidence that we were dating, but for us it was just a natural development.” 

“Exactly - the thought that there was some reason I wouldn’t move in with Nick hadn’t even occurred to me,” Judy said smiling at the memory. “You know, I still remember the night we officially started to date. At least, the first time we said it out loud. At this point, we had been living together for almost have a year. I remember he was sitting on the couch and I was laying on the opposite end with my feet in his lap. He was reading something on his phone and I was just flipping through shows on Nutflix. Out of the blue he looks up, ears straight up and alert, and then turns to me and asks, “Wait....Carrots, are we a couple?”’

Nick laughed at the memory, his arm resting on the back of the booth behind Judy. “She just looked at me with this face of utter confusion, before shrugging and replied, ‘Yeah, I guess we are’ before going back to her TV and me to my phone.”

The raccoon across from them gave a hearty laugh, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Just like that? There was no drama? No crazy build up or anything?” 

“Nope. We just made sense as a couple. After that night our relationship just grew naturally, and obviously we eventually got married. I will admit I was a romantic sap for the proposal, but that's a story for another time,” Nick replied, checking the time. 

“Well I'll be looking forward to hearing the rest,” he replied with a smile, pulling his wallet out and placing his card on the check. 

Nick swiftly picked his card up, handing it back as he replaced it with his own. “I don't think so, dinners on us.”

Fifteen minutes of arguing over who was paying later, having settled on one paying the check and the other leaving the tip, Nick and Judy found themselves walking back to their car. The rain from earlier had subsided into a light drizzle, the light from the moon reflected off the puddles spread sporadically through the streets. 

“You know I think he might be able to really help us figure this case out. I know it's not an exact science, but he does seem to be knowledgeable,” Judy said, hopping over a small puddle. 

“I hope so. Every clue seems to just add more confusion. Even for an exceedingly amazing detective like myself, it's getting super frustrating,” Nick replied. 

“At least tomorrow is a new day,” Judy mused. 

“You're not wrong. But,” Nick replied with a grin, “it might be worse.”


	10. How To Solve A Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you want to build a profile?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, another chapter! I'm a bit of a true crime and serial killer nerd, so I definitely poured a lot of time into research for this chapter. Hopefully it's not to factual and ends up boring….Let me know what you guys think! And of course, a huge thank you to Whatabummer for his help in editing and bouncing ideas around. 
> 
> I own nothing. At all. Of anything.

Blinding rays from the early morning light shone through the fluttering curtains of the small bedroom. In the center of a large bed, huddled in a tangle of limbs and tails under a sky blue blanket, was a fox and bunny. The ringing of an alarm shattered the idyllic calm of the moment, and prompted both mammas to groan and shift. After a moment, a red paw crept out and began to sluggishly fumble around their nightstand to find the cause of the disruption and shut it off. 

“That's just rude,” Nick groaned, burying his muzzle into the fur atop his bunny's head and wrapping his arms around her.

Judy sighed, looking up as she patted his chest. “Yes, what a rude alarm that you set. How dare it do its job.”

“Exactly. I'm glad you feel the same way. Now less talking and more sleeping in,” he replied. 

The rabbit chuckled, pushing him back as she rolled out of bed and stretched. “If only every criminal was as lazy as you - then we wouldn’t have to get up this early. Now come’on, you can sleep when you’re dead. We have a lot of work to do today.”

“Fine. But I get a kiss for giving up my cushy life of hustling to wake up early,” the fox pouted. 

“Your cushy life of living under a bridge with Finnick?” she replied, sliding her shirt on. 

“Point to the rabbit, you're definitely a lot better of a cuddler than Finnick. He gets too punchy,” Nick joked. 

Judy laughed as she threw his clothes at him. “Get dressed and I'll get breakfast started you dork. And I'll consider not telling Finnick that you said that about him.”

“You know you love me!” Nick shouted after her as she walked out of the bedroom. He grunted as he got out of bed, rotating his shoulders as he stretched, and picked his phone off of the nightstand. The fox cracked his neck as he buttoned his shirt, the sunlight filtering in through the beige curtains on the right side of the room. A feeling of contentment washed over the fox as he straightened his tie, the aroma of coffee drifting in from the kitchen. 

“You made me coffee, you really do care!” he said as he stepped into the kitchen. 

“It's more of a safety precaution for myself. Everyone knows foxes are caffeine powered. And besides, who knows what you would do tired and uncaffeinated!” Judy said, handing the fox his mug and giving him a quick kiss. 

“That concern is invalid, the worst thing I'd do is drag you back to bed with me,” he replied, sipping from his mug. 

“We can't have that either. We're going to review the case with Peter today, so we need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed,” she replied, sliding a plate in front of him. “Now eat. We've got to get going.”

“There's only one bushy tail here, mine. Yours is more poofy and fluffy,” he replied, pointing his fork at the bunny as he chewed. 

“And if we're late today, your paws won't get to touch it for another week, so let's get a move on.”

“You are a cruel bunny, you know?” Nick said, drinking the last of his coffee in one go. 

“Yeah, but you like it,” she said, reaching over to pull Nick’s tie down and kiss him on the lips. There was a lingering taste of coffee, but before they got too caught up in it Judy quickly broke toff and began taking his dish to the sink. “Now grab your stuff and let's get going.”

 

 

The doors to precinct one opened as the two detectives strolled in, a second cup of coffee already in the fox's paw. Nick gave a small nod and raised his cup as he passed Clawhauser at the front desk without skipping a beat in his conversation with his wife. The two trudged into their division, stopping in front of the murder board as their conversation came to an end. Agent Baxter was already there and sitting at a desk that had been set aside for him, staring intently at a pile of papers and idly sipping at a steaming mug of tea.

“Well, it certainly seems that you've been busy Petey!” Nick said, glancing at the papers spread around the desks and pinned to the murder board. 

“What? Oh the papers - right, sorry about the mess. I needed to visualize everything in a way that let's me process all the information we have so far,” the raccoon said and rubbed his eyes for a moment before frowning. “Also Petey? That one just feels lazy”. 

Judy chuckled as Nick frowned, crossing his arms. “Ringtail it is then,” Nick said.

The raccoon stopped and stared at him for a second before sighing and moving on. 

“It'll grow on you,” Judy smiled, patting his shoulder. “So, does anything stick out at you from all of this?” she asked, gesturing towards the sheets spread around the room. 

“Well when we talk about serial killers, we typically break them down into two groups,” Peter said, holding up two fingers. “The first is act focused killers, and the second is process focused killers. For act focused killers, killing is about the act itself. There's a tangible reason for the killings to be happening in their minds. Maybe they are hearing voices in their heads and they have to kill to keep that voice quiet. Or perhaps they are killing a certain species as they feel that species to be eradicated, such as the case with Joseph Franklin. He was active about 20 years ago, and felt that all foxes needed to be eradicated, and he was on a mission to personally make sure that happened.”

It was only years of marriage that gave Judy the ability to read the subtle stiffening of Nick’s posture at the mention of Franklin’s name. Baxter didn’t seem to notice it at all, and continued.

“The second group, process killers, enjoy the process of taking a life. They take their time, kidnapping and slowly killing their victims. So in our case, I believe that ours is an act focused killer.”

Nick furrowed his brows as he sat on edge of the desk. “What makes you draw that conclusion? He may not be holding these victims for days on end, but these murders are extremely elaborate. Wouldn't that push it more towards a process focused killer?” 

“At first glance, it could seem like that. But it's that very fact that they are so elaborate that makes me believe otherwise. Process focused killers typically kill in more…. Personal ways,” the raccoon stated, pacing in front of the two. “You two remember the BTK killer, active in the 80s and 90s?” 

“I was really young during that time, but we definitely covered it in the academy. He would break into mammals houses, bind them up, then torture and kill then,” Judy replied. “Hence his self given name of BTK.” 

The raccoon nodded and pushed his glasses back up his face. “Exactly. His method of killing was strangulation. It's personal, it's an in your face way to kill someone. These killings though? They are extremely elaborate, but impersonal. Our killer is trying to send a message, to accomplish something specific. Each one is a part of a story, but we don't have the book. There's a reason for each one, and if we can figure that out, that will be a huge leap towards figuring out who this is.”

“So we have to figure out what their agenda, what it is that is driving them to kill,” Judy said. “What else do you have for us?” 

“The second set of groups killers usually fall into is what's referred to as either organized and Nonsocial, or disorganized and asocial. To put simply, an organized and nonsocial killer is one that's charismatic and charming, they’re typically highly intelligent and enjoy playing games with the police. Usually they will kill in one place and dispose of the body in another. They are more likely to dismember the body, and more then likely are either dating or married. Again, drawing from real life examples, one of the most infamous killers ever is Ted Bundy. He hits almost every point for an organized and nonsocial killer.”

Nick walked over to the board and studied it. “I'm going to take a guess that the second type is the opposite of the first? Probably lonely and not as smart?”

“They aren't necessarily stupid either though,” Peter continued. “But yes, they are mostly opposites. A disorganized and asocial killer will usually live alone, and are an outcast in society. They think of their victims as objects, tend to be more active at night, and generally live close to the crime scenes. However, we can't take each of these classifications at complete face value, but rather as a guideline to build a picture for who we are looking for, and that's how we start to build a profile.”

Nick stepped forward and erased a part of the board, grabbing a marker as she turned towards the raccoon. “So what do we have so far for a profile?” 

“We have a Mule, somewhere between 25 and 30. They’re an act focused killer, so they have a mission and believes they have to complete it,” Baxter said, counting off each point on the fingers of his paw. “They’re mostly a disorganized asocial type, as evident from the fact that he kills at night, kills and leaves the corpse at the scene, attacks in a blitz pattern, and isn't dismembering the victims. They’re very organized, however, as shown from a pristine crime scenes. This all suggests they’re probably single and lives alone, probably drive an older car, and may even revisit crime scenes. I'd definitely advise stationing uniforms by each crime scene to watch in case they revisits it.”

“Okay, I’ll make a note to pass that along to the Captain,” Judy said and reached over for a pad of paper and a pen.

“Now, the fact that our killer does have that organized streak points to intelligence, which seems to be supported by the fact that we have possible evidence that he attended college,” the raccoon said, flipping through the files in his paws. “Usually disorganized asocial killers don't care about the news, but couple the fact that this killer is clever , and that they’re obviously careful about how they leaves the scene, I'd say they're probably watching the news and trying their best to track how close you guys are following them. I'd advise keeping as many details out of the news as possible.”

“This is great and all, but how do we take all of this and use it to catch the bastard?” Nick asked, his tail flicking behind him in frustration. 

“There's a few things we can do. First, we should use this as a guide to narrow down a list of prime suspects. Use it to rank suspects, but don't use it to rule any out. Second, while this does give us a nice amount of information, it doesn't answer what his mission is, or how they are selecting victims. That part is what's been stumping me the most. The victims cross genders, species, and risk levels, and I don't see anything that links them. I'd place money on the fact that they aren't random however, as our killer’s organized everything way too carefully for that to be the case.”

“So why don't we stop focusing on the victims differences, and start looking at what their similarities are? There has to be something, a reason they are chosen,” Judy suggested.

Nick nodded, dragging a second, blank white board next to the filled one. “We should also get a map and plot the locations of the murders. We could be missing a pattern there that we just haven't been able to visualize.”

Peter nodded, shifting the piles of papers and folders, bringing out a map of downtown zootopia and pinning it to the board. Taking a sharpie, the raccoon started to plot the location of each murder. To the left of him, Nick and Judy were spreading out each of the folders containing the lives and information of each victim, digging through to check each aspect of their lives. The room grew silent as the trio worked, interrupted intermediary only by a short remark or request. 

An hour later, Nick tossed his pen down and growled. “All I've found is that they all use the same internet service, but so does everyone else in the greater Zootopia area.”

Judy looked over from her pile and frowned. “It has to be something we aren't seeing. Maybe we just need to backup from the details for a bit. Peter, have you found anything?”

The raccoon blinked and looked up from his own pile of paperwork. “Um… possibly. I plotted all three murders so far, and all the houses are within a five mile radius of each other, so there is a high probability that he lives in or close to this radius.”

“It's progress. It may not be fast progress, but it's still progress,” Judy said smiling. 

“There's the disgusting positivity I love!” Nick said with a chuckle. 

“You could do well to learn some of it Wilde,” the bunny shot back with a grin. 

The sound of the phone ringing caused the three to go silent. Nick answered it and said, “Detective Wilde here. OK, thanks Spots, we'll be right there,” Nick replaced the phone and sighed. “Lisa Reynolds is here, Ben's sister. She was out of town when him and his wife were murdered, but agreed to fly back to talk with us.”

“Well let's not keep her waiting too long,” Judy said, a twinge of sadness lingering in her voice. 

 

 

“Ms. Reynolds, we are so sorry for your loss,” Judy stated, leading the lynx into one of the empty offices. The office was furnished with a small couch and two chairs, a table sitting in the middle. Along the far end of room sat a water cooler along with a small green plant. The walls were a soft brown, with a large window to let in light.

The young female lynx sat on one edge of the couch, wearing a long red dress with a white rose pattern. In her paw was a wad of tissue, her eyes were red and bloodshot, an obvious sign of a lack of sleep from her weary expression. “Please, Lisa is fine. I got here as soon as I could. The other officers haven't told me much. Why would anyone want to kill them?” 

“That's what we are trying our best to figure out, and hopefully you could help us with that. Were you and your brother close?”

“Yes, growing up, our parents were very busy with work. They didn't ignore us, but it was usually just me and my brother, and we spent a nice amount of time together till we moved out, and even then we tried to have dinner together weekly. When Ben married Liz that didn't change.” 

“So would you say you were close with Elizabeth too?” Nick asked 

“Close? We were friends before she ever even thought about my brother in that way! I'm the one that pushed them together,” she replied with a sad chuckle. 

“When was the last time you heard from either of them?” Peter asked, leaning against the far wall. 

“Wednesday. I stopped by the house to drop off the keys to my house. I had to change out the locks on the backdoor and hadn't given them the spare yet, and wanted to see them before I left for my trip,” the lynx paused as she wiped her eyes. “I always do, just in case something happens, but I never actually expected something to.”

A silence hung in the air as the mammals gave the grieving women a second to breathe. 

“Lisa, do you recall either of them ever talking about any suspicious people hanging around their house or work?” Judy asked, placing a paw on the Lynx arm. 

“No, they never mentioned anything like that to me. As far as I knew, everything was perfectly fine,” Lisa said. 

“Your brother and sister in law, did they have any hobbies or interests?” Nick asked, chewing on the tip of his pen. 

“Honestly both of them are workaholics. Liz felt her work as a social worker was more important than having a hobby, and Ben spent most of his time at the ice cream shop.” 

Peter tilted his head as his brows furrowed. “Was the ice cream shop his number one priority?” 

Lisa nodded and shrugged. “Yeah. It was actually the same ice cream shop we would go to when we were young. The owner, Mr. Brown, he would sort of watch the kids that came into the shop. Ben saw how much of a difference that made for some of them as we were growing up, having a safe spot to spend their time in. As we got older, it became his mission to buy the shop and do the same for the next generation of kids. He worked for years, saving up as much as he could, and a few years ago, when Mr. Brown was ready to retire, he bought the shop off of him.”

Nick paused his chewing, and leaned forward. “Did Ben have a lot of kids that he opened his doors to?” 

“A fair amount. He always kept an open door policy. He even had his personal phone number at the bottom of the menu boards, so that even if he wasn't there, the kids could reach them if they needed. I remember him telling me once that, even if he couldn't directly stop whatever obstacle, neglect, or abuse was in these kids ways, that he could at least give them a safe zone and some one to talk to. He really cared,” Lisa replied. 

“And Elizabeth. You said she was super involved in her work. Did she put herself emotionally into each case?” Nick asked, taking control of the interview a bit. Judy noticed Nicks intensity, watching as she could see connections starting to form in his mind. It was something that she always loved to watch, a simple reminder as to how talented her fox was with mammals. 

Lisa nodded as she replied. “Liz always gave 110% with each case. She always wanted to protect each child from as much harm as she could, and on severe cases, or cases where her paws were tied and she couldn't do much, it always hit her hard.” 

“Did she have many cases that didn't work out?” Nick asked. 

“Not a ton, but it isn't uncommon either. Proving verbal and emotional harm is always extremely challenging, especially if a child is groomed by the parents to look good in front of the judge. Liz always had good intuition, but intuition doesn't win a case, evidence does, as I'm sure you guys know,” she said. 

“Thank you Lisa, you've been a huge help. We have to check on something really quick, could you give us a moment?” Nick said, standing up and shaking the Lynx paw, before motioning to the other two. All three mammals looked at Nick in slight confusion before Judy and Peter followed after him, giving a reassuring smile towards the confused Lynx.   
“Alright, what did you figure out Nick?” Judy asked, stepping behind the fox as he scribbled on the board. 

“I think I know how he is choosing his victims. Our first victim was Alison Lang. She was a teacher, and she had a student who was being abused, and although she tried to help him, she could only do so much. Next, we have Ben and Liz Reynolds. Liz worked as a social worker, a job that revolves around helping children who are being abused, but not a job that is always successful. Ben spent his time trying to help those that were also being abused, but again didn't have the ability to actual remove the children from the abusive environment. Last we have our latest victim, Eli Daniels. He volunteered his time at the local Boys and Girls club, mostly working as a councilor, and just like the others, worked hard to help those that were abused or neglected, but not able to remove them from that household,” Nick said, furiously scribbling all of this on the board, his ears raised in excitement. 

Placing the marker down, Nick stepped away from the board and turned to the other two. “I believe that our killer is targeting people he believes could have done more to prevent kids from being abused.” 

The three mammals silently stared at the board, the faces of the victims starring back as the idea sunk in and took hold, and a few more pieces of a cryptic, bloody puzzle fell into place.


	11. Red Red Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversation over dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the adventure continues! The story is moving along nicely, hopefully you feel the same way! Thank you Whatabummer for editing! Feel free to comment, I always enjoy reading them!

Three mammals sat around two desks, wrapt in a dark cloud of silence that hung thickly between them. The precinct was mostly empty; a few of the night shift workers busied themselves with vacuuming the floors and emptying out the garbage bins. It had been a few hours since the Judy, Nick, and Peter had uncovered the victimology of their killer, and had informed the chief. Since then they had tossed around ideas to whittle away at their suspect list, with little success. For the last few hours the trio had lapsed into quiet, focused contemplation.

Nick stood up, grabbing his jacket and pushed in his chair, shaking his head. “Alright. We aren't getting anything productive done. It's still early enough to get a respectable dinner, so I say we call it for today.”

The raccoon across from him sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. “That's probably a good call. I can hardly read any of these files at this point.” Peter stood and grabbed his own coat, starting to stuff a few of the files into his bag. 

“We've got food at home. I don't feel like eating out again.” Judy said, turning towards Nick. 

“That's a fair point. Any more fast food and we'll end up looking like that girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that ate the blueberry pie thing,.” Nick said, mimicking her waddle. 

Judy ignored the red fox, turning back towards the raccoon. “You have a plan for dinner Peter?” 

“I think I'm just gonna pick up some noodles from that Panda place on the corner. It's not too far from my hotel and it has good reviews,” he replied, wrapping à scarf around his neck. 

Judy nudged Nicks arm, tilting her head towards the raccoon with a questioning look. Nick gave a quick nod in agreement. “Why don't you join us?” Nick asked. “I'm sure you've had nothing but fast food since you got here, and we have more than enough.”

The raccoon paused as he frowned slightly. “Are you sure? I don't want to impose.”

“You wouldn't be imposing, we would love to have you over,” Judy replied with a smile. 

“Yes, we can spend the evening telling you stories about how great we are and having you agree! Oh just a heads up - we do require a $75 plate fee,” Nick joked. 

“$75 is too rich for my blood. How about instead I pick up a bottle of wine and I promise to listen to at least two stories,” the raccoon shot back with a grin. 

“Only if it's a nice chianti to pair with our Fava beans and liver! I've already sent ya the address Ringtail. We'll see ya there,” the fox responded, winking as he started to walk out with Judy. 

“Wait, we aren't actually eating liver, are we?” Peter asked, following the pair out. 

 

“You have a lovely home!” Peter said, placing the bottle of red wine on the table. Setting his coat on a nearby chair, he looked around at the photos on the wall. “Are all of these of your family Judy?” 

“Yup! With almost 300 siblings, the walls get filled really fast!” the rabbit replied. 

“300 siblings, and yet you somehow have the same amount of photos of you and Nick as you do your entire family,” Peter noted . 

“I am more handsome than the rest of her family, so it's not that surprising!” Nick said as he walked out of the kitchen. He stopped in front of the table and picked the bottle off the table, nodding his approval. “And here I thought you said you were no wine expert!” 

“I may have asked the lioness working what her recommendation would be,” Peter replied sheepishly. 

“Well she certainly knows how to pick a good one. Hope you like Ibixian. I'm making a white Alfredo sauce and linguini with some sautéed veggies,” Nick said. 

“I'm very easy going, I'll eat anything,” he replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Nick walked back into the room, setting a bowl down in the center of the table along with three plates. “Tell me I'm handsome and I cook good food.”

The raccoon laughed as he took his seat. “The first would be better suited coming from Judy, and I'll reserve judgement of your cooking till I get to try it.”

“Fair enough. You heard him Carrots, tell me I'm pretty,” the fox said, his grin wide as he sat next to his bunny and began to plate food for the three of them

“You are beautiful hun,” the rabbit replied, patting Nick’s shoulder. “So Peter, tell us a bit about yourself. How'd you get into the field of studying serial killers?” 

 

Peter smiled somewhat bashfully. 

“Police work has always been something I've loved. I remember being a pre-teen, reading murder mysteries in the dark under my blankets with a flashlight. I'd map out the clues on a sheet of paper as I read, trying to guess the killer before the reveal,” he replied, pouring wine into each of three glasses. 

Judy chuckled and nodded, taking the glass. “I can relate to that, though I never mapped out the clues.”

Nick leaned back in his chair as he nodded in bemusement. “I did something similar, but with movies and TV. My mom would work late, and while she was gone I'd put on the TV to one of the few channels that we got without cable. Lots of old police and serial killer classics. I loved watching the chess game between the killer and detective.”

“Not nearly as fun in real life, is it?” Peter replied. “When I was 16, my parents went out on a date night ...”

The racoon seemed to shrink slightly, and swallowed thickly.

“They never came back. Drunk driver t-boned them on free freeway. Didn’t suffer, thankfully. I was 16, so I was home alone. I found out when the officer knocked on my door. She was so concerned and gave me her personal number. I remember her checking up on me every week. That really kind of made an impression on me, and I decided that being an officer would be something I would pursue.”

“I'm so sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose your parents,” Nick offered sympathetically. 

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” he responded with a smile. “After I graduated high school, I immediately applied for the force. I just barely passed at the academy. It wasn't the knowledge part that was difficult, but as you can probably tell, I'm not exactly the top athlete. But my test scores for the written sections were top of the class.”

“So I'm assuming you did your time as a beat cop and eventually worked your way up to detective?” Judy asked. 

“Pretty much. What I lacked in tackling criminals I made up for in piecing together complex puzzles. The captain took notice of me after a few of the senior detectives I’d worked with said I’d helped them look at cases from a different perspective. Guess he was as tired of grilling me about my PT scores as I was trying to improve them. He figured my skills and talents would be better used as a part of the detective team.”

“Wow. You're kind of like, if you took Judy but removed all the bad ass from her,” Nick said grinning. 

Judy's paw quickly connected with the fox's chest, shaking her head. “Don't be rude.”

The raccoon laughed as he nodded. “It's fine Judy, it's not exactly a secret that I'm not a super cop.”

“Yup! We got the only supercop right here in Zootopia's precinct one!” Nick said as he leaned back in his chair. 

“I'm not a supercop,” Judy replied, rolling her eyes as she finished her salad. 

“Nobody said anything about it being a bunny, sweetheart. I'm obviously the supercop on the force,” Nick jabbed back. 

“Ignoring the big red oaf beside me, how did you make the jump from detective to serial killer profiling?” Judy asked. 

“After a year and a half on the detective team, my captain came to me with an offer to join the bureau. I was already following some of the studies on criminal behaviors and applying it to my cases, so I jumped at the chance. I didn't have any family or really many friends, so packing everything up and moving wasn't a huge challenge for me,” the raccoon said. With a soft chuckle he glanced up at the two mammals across from him. “I'm sorry I'm just spilling my soul to you guys, I didn't mean for this to turn into some soft of therapy session.”

“It's the ears,” Nick replied, pointing towards Judy. “They're so big you can't help but feel like talking because you know they’ll have to listen.”

The raccoon nooded, his laughter becoming slightly more boisterous as the night grew later and the bottle of wine dwindled. “You know, when I got this assignment I could not believe I would be working with you two. I was like a teenager when the Night Howler stuff was happening, but it's because of you two that I could even consider a life as a cop. You guys made it possible not just for smaller mammals to join the force, but also mammals that most others looked down upon. I'm part of the first generation of raccoons that aren't looked at as exclusively thieves. You two are like, celebrities! I mean, I literally had the ZPD recruitment poster of you two up in my room!” Peter eyes widened as he glanced down at the glass on his paw. “Well, I uh, didn't mean to share that much…I'm so sorry!”

Nicks paws flew above his head. “Hell ya! I made it into this kids wall!”

“Nick, we made it on to his wall,” Judy said rolling her eyes. “It's nothing to apologize for Peter, it's honestly nice to hear we had an impact. It's part of why I fought to become a cop, to open the dream to others.”

“Yes we both made it on the wall, but I'm more of an influence, didn't you listen? I broke stereotypes,” Nick said, “Right Petey?” 

“Don't you make me play favorites, that's not fair! You are both equally influential to me,” he replied with a chuckle. “I've been curious though. If it was rough for me to be a small mammal on the force years after you two did, how was it for you being the first small police duo?” 

“Oh it was far from easy, I can tell you that much!” Nick said, taking Judy's paw in his. “I know for myself, even if I had proven myself through the Night Howler case and made it through the academy, I still faced many officers that didn't trust me. I had a nice amount in my corner, but the whispers that traveled the halls and the side eyed looks spoke volumes. But with time and the assurance of Judy and some of the other officers, those dissipated until I was just another one of the family in blue.”

“Even after the Nighthowler case, we were still looked down upon as weaker,” Judy continued. “Looking back at it, they weren't entirely wrong. Sure, we had take down multiple criminals, and in our time as cops we've taken down numerous criminals larger than us. However, for many of those criminals, we had to be smart in our approach and a lot more cautious than other, larger officers might have had to be.”

Nick nodded as he grinned. “Of course, they also quickly realized that having smaller officers had its merits. The number of small rabbits and weasels that can get away from a lumbering rhino is outstanding. They are a tank of a mammal, but are terrible at maneuvering. I once watched a ferret hid from a rhino by staying just behind the outline of his horn! That is not something we would ever have to deal with.” 

“What about when you two started dating? Surely there was some interesting conversations after you two were official,” the raccoon said, finishing off his glass of wine. 

Judy chuckled and shrugged. “Not too big of a deal to be honest. Most people already thought of us as a couple and were surprised it took as long as it did. There was a few remarks about us finally facing the inevitable, but for the most part nothing changed.”

“Nothing changed at all?” the racoon asked, his words slurring just a touch as he tapped his fingers on the table. 

“Well obviously a few things changed. We went from two beds to one, so that gave us a whole extra guest room!” Nick said with a grin. “But as far as work and daily life, no not much changed. We were already so close, that there wasn't much of a difference to how we acted. A few stolen kisses or a holding of the paw, but we swore to each other we would keep it professional at work.” 

Nick leaned forward, clasping his paws together as he gave the raccoon a knowing smile. Peter shank back in his seat under the foxes gaze, an unsure look flashing across his face. 

“So,” Nick began, “Who's the lucky lady?” 

“I'm not sure what you're talking about,” Peter sheepishly replied, avoiding the foxes piercing gaze. Judy chuckled as she shook her head watching the pieces of the past hour click into place in the foxes mind. 

“Oh come on Petey! No one is that curious about a couples day to day life unless they are contemplating a similar situation,” Nick countered. 

The raccoon stared blankly and blinked for a moment, before he sighed and rubbed a paw across his eyes. “Your ability to stare into people's lives and dissect their words and actions is extremely annoying, you know that? Her name is Megan. She's an otter at the precinct I used to work at, one of the dispatchers. We were always pretty good friends, and I thought about asking her out, but I was always too worried it would mess how well we worked together. I'm not sure if hearing how well it worked out for you two makes me feel better or worse about it all,” he replied.

“It's never too late you know. Maybe once we wrap up this case, you can bring her to Zootopia for a double date with us,” Judy suggested, standing up to start clearing the dishes. “We always enjoy having friends over.”

“You'd consider me a friend?” The racoon asked, his eyes widening slightly.

“Eh, jury's still out for me,” Nick replied teasingly. 

“As always, ignore him. Either of you want tea or coffee?” Judy asked. 

A soft chime caused Nick to pull his phone out of his pockets, frowning as he read the message on the screen. Tapping the link sent to him from Clawhauser, the voices of the ZNN nightly report filled the room. 

“Aw crap,” Nick said, turning the phone towards the raccoon. “You might want to give Bogo a call.”

Displayed on the screen above the faces of the ZNN crew, read a bold headline: ZPD investigation links murders to a possible serial killer.

“At this time there has been no real information from the ZPD, but sources tell us that at least 4 people have been murdered. The murders have been connected from what seems to be a signature of sorts, with the killer engraving a number into the back of the victims. Our source tells us that while there hasn't been any real leads, the ZPD has brought in a specialist to help catch this killer. We will update this story as more information is released. Until then we would like to talk to Jeffrey Hudson, a criminal justice professor at Harevard University, and get his thoughts on the-” 

Nick shut the phone off biting his lip as he looked up at Peter. 

“How long ago was this aired?” Peter asked. However relaxed the wine had made the raccoon, there was no trace of it now. He was back to his usual crisp professionalism. 

“About a half hour ago,” Nick replied, checking the time on the site. “How bad is this?”

Peter looked up at the two detectives, drumming his paw on the table as he shook his head. “Not great. Honestly, this could draw one of two reactions. This could scare the killer into backing off for a bit, but when we comes back he'll come back with a vengeance. Or it'll send him into an angry fury, trying to complete his mission before we can get closer. I need to call Bogo, we need to diffuse the the media and public, and we need to do it fast,” the racoon said, pulling his own phone out, stepping into the living room. 

Nick glanced up at Judy, a weary look in his eyes as he frowned. “The media always makes things more difficult.” 

Judy nodded as she squeezed his shoulder. A few minutes later Peter walked back into the dining room. “Commissioner Bogo is already working with media relations on an official response. As for us, all questions should be directed back to media relations. We need to keep things short and not give up to much information on where we are with the case.”

“Well this is all just fantastic. This means someone is selling information about our case to the media as well!” Nick grumbled.

“Leave that to Internal Affairs hun, that's not our department. We'll talk to the captain tomorrow on how we can keep the rest of what we find as restricted in access as we can, but our main job is catching the murderer, not chasing after possible holes in our department,” Judy said. 

The ringing of Judy's phone killed Nick's snarky remark before it could leave his lips. Judy checked the caller ID and answered the phone on speaker. “Captain Slott. I have you on speaker with Wilde and Baxter. what can I help you with sir?” 

“Oh good, you're all together. That saves me a phone call. I'm sure you two already saw the news, but unfortunately that's not why I'm calling. We have another body,” the captain replied. 

“Already? His time table seems to be speeding up,” Judy muttered aloud.

“There is a bit of an unexpected twist to this one however,” the bear said, a hint of exhaustion evident in his tone. “The murder was committed in Bunny Burrow.”

“Bunny Burrow? That doesn’t make any sense - that is wildly outside of his normal radius!” Peter said with a confused frown. 

“Right. Like I said, unexpected twist. Bogo and I are dealing with the media, but we want you three to head down to Bunny Burrow to check out the newest addition to this nightmare of murders. This one feels off, and I'm concerned he might be escalating his timeline. The ME will fill you guys in on the rest when you arrive. Call me if you need anything,” the captain instructed, before hanging up the phone. 

 

Nick broke the silence as he stood up and gave a strained smile. “Well…. Think your Mom will let me have any blueberries?”


	12. Coffee, Contemplation, and Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to Bunny Burrow we go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is live! We're going in a bit New direction, but still moving forward! I hope you all enjoy, and let me know what your thoughts on the story are! Thanks to Whatabummer for editing and helping me! 
> 
> I own nothing!

A cold breeze whipped through the damp air of the early morning, whistling through the empty train station, and sending the smell of motor oil and wet asphalt up into the air. Judy and NIck sat alone on a bench in the middle of the station, each with a steaming cup in their paws. 

Nick took a long draw from his coffee, audibly savoring it. After a moment he turned to the rabbit next to him and said, “You're awfully quiet for a morning person Carrots. What's on your mind?” 

“It's… well it's silly. By this point I'm sure they've ID the victim, but Bunny Burrow isn't exactly a huge town. There's a chance I'll know the victim, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that,” Judy replied, kicking her feet back and forth as she stared down at the steam rising from the lid of her cup.”

“Well, maybe it'll be a good thing. Got any high school enemies?” Nick asked with a wry grin. 

“Nick! We can't joke about murder! Not even if Sandy Barker would have deserved it… ” Judy muttered under her breath. 

The sounds of footsteps echoing off the station walls silenced the two, turning in time to see a familiar face walk into view. 

“Eager Peter! Glad you could make it at this ungodly hour,” Nick said, raising his cup in a non verbal greeting. “Train should be here in a few minutes. If you didn't get enough sleep, you can sleep on the train. Only thing is you'll miss the riveting views of cornfields and even more cornfields from the two hour ride.”

The raccoon yawned and plopped down on the bench beside the two detectives. He slowly took a large swig from a bottle of cold brew coffee before turning towards the fox. “You know, for not being a morning person, you sure are talkative.” 

Nick laughed and shrugged. “You can thank the rabbit for that. She insisted on getting us up an hour earlier than necessary to double check our packing. An anxious, angry bunny, a cold shower, and a cup of coffee will get the most sleepy of moving like a sloth in a racecar.”

Judy huffed as she shook her head. “It wasn't unnecessary, we had less than 12 hours to pack for a trip of unknown length! If we forgot anything, it would just be a hassle.” 

“Your parents live twenty minutes away from Targoat, if we forget something, it would be far from a hassle.” 

Peter stared at the two wearily, before looking down at his cup and shooting the rest in one go. With a sigh he sat the cup down, interrupting the two. “I'm sorry, rewind - my brain is still catching up…. Faster than a sloth in a race car?”

Nick scoffed and rolled his arms playfully, a smirk stretched across his muzzle. “What, just because a mammal is a sloth, they can't go fast?” 

“Generally speaking, yes. Same as foxes can't normally fly. It's science, not bias,” the raccoon replied. 

Judy chuckled as she looked over at the raccoon. “You are right… For the most part. But the first case I ever worked with Nick was actually on a speed racer tearing up the streets of downtown Savannah, and was in fact a sloth behind the wheel.”

“Your city is insane,” the raccoon replied, rubbing his eyes. 

“Bunny Burrow express now arriving. All passengers stand clear of the yellow line,” an electronic voice blared from the overhead speakers. 

The three mammals, stood up and collected their belongings, stepping up to the yellow line as the doors of the train opened for them. 

“You ever been to Bunny Burrow Ringtail?” Nick asked, taking a seat next to the window. 

“No I haven't. I grew up in the Meadowlands which is just as small, but a completely different environment. Is your entire family out in Bunny Burrow Judy?”

“Most of them. I've had some family that followed my footsteps and moved to Zootopia. Beck, my older brother, actually gave up the backhoe for a suitcase and works as a lawyer in the city now. We've also got a few relatives in Deerbrook County. Aunt Tamie moved out there after she got married to Jim a few years back.”

“Do you ever miss being out there? I mean, the city and the Burrows seem like they would be two opposite ends of the spectrum,” he asked. 

“Sometimes I do. But it's never too bad. We usually try and get out every two to three months. It's really not that long of a trip, so heading out for a day trip has happened on the rare occasion that I can drag a certain russet furred tail out of bed,” Judy replied, glancing out the window, the rushing of green signifying their arrival in the rainforest district. 

“We could visit more often, but we would probably be too fat to work as detectives with how much food Bonnie makes. And every plate is just as delicious as the next, I assure you of that!” Nick said, sighing happily. “We are staying with your parents, aren't we Carrots? I don't even want to imagine how ‘totally understanding and not at all mad’ your mom would be if we were to stay anywhere else. Ya’ know, if I was a betting fox - which of course I never would be - I'd place money on your mom over chief Bogo in a fight.”

The raccoon laughed at the picture that popped up in his mind. “Mothers. No matter how old you get or who you are, you will always lose to an angry mother, especially if it's because of their child.”

Judy rolled her eyes in amusement, patting her fox's leg. “Yes, of course we're staying with them. Bogo’s already arranged for the sheriff to meet us at the station. He said Sheriff Hopper will drive us around for the day so we can keep our bags in his car. Since the murder happened last night, the body is already at the Tri-Burrows morgue - I figure we'll check out the crime scene and by then the autopsy report should be available. Then tomorrow we can take one of my parent's cars out so we don't have to inconvenience anyone else, and go to the morgue if we need to.”

“Ah, good ol’ Sheriff Hopper! Ain't nobody can show you hospitality like that, I tell you what!” Nick said, imitating the sheriff's southern twang. “Speaking of the case, have we gotten any more information other than the fact that it's somehow connected?” Nick asked. 

Peter shook his head as he read through the emails on his phone. “Unfortunately, between the news story breaking and the fact that Bunny Burrow has almost no cell reception and internet speeds from 15 years ago, all the info that I have is that a number was found carved into the back of this victim as well in the same manner the others were. The Sheriff doesn't really talk like that does he?” Peter asked, turning to Judy. 

Judy chuckled and shrugged, unlocking her tablet. Nick leaned back, settling into the seat as he glanced at the raccoon. “Well, we have a bit of time before we reach our destination. Wanna hear the full Nighthowler story?” 

The raccoon snapped his head up, his eyes suddenly alert as he nodded. “Definitely, without question, yes.”

 

An hour and a half later, the train pulled into Bunny Burrow station, the pink pillars and carrot shaped supports were still standing and as bright as ever. As the trio stepped out of the cabin of the train, they were met with a crisp fall breeze, the fresh country air rustling the remain leaves on the trees around them. The landscape in front of them was filled with sea of grass in browns, yellows, and reds. A vibrant, and refreshing palette of seasonal colors almost impossible to find in the season-locked regions of the city.

Nick smiled as he took in an exaggerated breath. “There is nothing like the fresh air in the countryside.”

Judy's eyes roamed the crowds around them, giving a light humph in agreement. It wasn't long before she spotted what she was looking for. Leaning against an older looking police truck was Roger Hopper, Bunny Burrows Sheriff. Hopper had a solid frame that softened around his midsection, giving the rabbit a stout and round look. His dark brown fur had begun to lighten around his muzzle, which only served to reinforce his approachable demeanor. Presently the Sheriff was wearing thick aviators and a tan rangers hat and idly surveying the crowd. 

Judy turned back towards her two companions, interrupting their conversation. “I found our ride guys,” she said, picking up her bag, and walking towards the Sheriff. 

Hopper stood and waves as the three mammals walked into his view. “Nick, Judith! Welcome back you two! Wish it was under different circumstances, it's always a pleasure to see y’all! And who's the friend ya brought with ya?”

Nick bumped the racoon, giving him an ‘I told you so’ look, before turning back to the Sheriff. “This here is Peter Baxter, he's our ZBI liaison. He's an expert in serial killer science and behavior.”

The raccoon stuck his paw out, offering it the older Sheriff. “It's a pleasure to meet you sir, hopefully I can help.”

“Ah, even if your just goin’ over evidence, every set of paws helps out here. Well, pile in folks, the crime scene ain’t too far from here. Only about a twenty or so minute ride,” Roger replied, turning to open the driver door. 

The three mammals threw their bags into the trunk before climbing into the beat up pickup. The leather seats had large cracks, and the black dashboard was faded from years in the sun. It wasn't too far of a stretch to assume this car had served on the force for just as long as the Sheriff had. 

The sound of the engine roaring to life startled the red fox sitting in the back passenger seat. With a laugh, the Sheriff turned towards Nick. “The ol’ gal may have some mileage on her, but don't think I don't keep her running! I've taken down many a criminal because they underestimated the power behind this baby.”

The engine roared a bit as the Sheriff took off, reaching the open road in just a few minutes. “So, what can you tell us about the murder? We really don't have any information at all,” Judy said. 

“Well the victim is Thomas Stone. He's a hare that moved to Bunny Burrow about five years ago. He took over his uncle’s banking business. You know the credit union on Thumper Ave? Anyway, he was a young guy, only 28 years old. Single, no real family to speak of except a sister. She's the one that found him last night and called it in, the poor thing. According to her initial statement, her brother was a bit of workaholic, and didn't get out too much.”

“We should probably interview her again in the next day or so when it's not so recent. Maybe she can remember something to help us identify this guy,” Nick said. 

Peter nodded, before speaking. “We should also look to see if anything bank related was stolen. This guy has been killing in elaborate ways, he could be running out of cash if he isn't working.”

“Surely there are easier ways to make some extra cash then murdering a bank owner 200 miles away from home,” Roger said. 

“Could be to throw us off his tracks. If he's as smart as he seems to be, it's not out of the question that he knows murdering way out here would slow us down. We're almost 14 hours past the time this guy was murdered and we haven't even seen the crime scene yet,” Judy replied. 

“Speaking of, we've reached our destination,” the Sheriff said, pulling in front of a small house at the outskirts of downtown Bunny Burrow. The house was a light gray, single story house, with a large oak tree in the front yard. Locking the doors to the car, the Sheriff led the mammals up the front porch and into the house. 

Entering through the front door, the mammals found themselves standing in the center of the living room. The room had a small TV and a single red couch with an end table on the left side. In the middle of the living room, sectioned off with tape and an evidence placard, was a large red stain soaked into the carpet. 

Judy walked over to the spot, circling around as she furrowed her brows. “What exactly was the cause of death?” 

“Single gunshot to the head,” the Sheriff replied. 

“That's it? There was no torture or odd devices?” Nick asked. 

The Sheriff handed the fox a file as he shook his head. “No, it was a pretty standard case ‘cept for the large ‘8’ carved into his back.”

The fox opened the file, sorting through the photos, and spreading a few out on the table off to right of the living room. The photos corroborated what the Sheriff had told them. Laying on the floor of the living room, a middle aged hare lay on his back, a single gunshot piercing the middle of his skull. Nick shuffled through the photos, stopping on a photo of the victim's back, the large number 8 freshly cut into his fur. 

“Our last victim, didn't he have a number six carved his back? Also, why the sudden change in methods? Every murder so far has been an elaborate setup, and we'll thought out. Why is this one different?” Nick asked, holding the photos up. 

Judy took the photos and shook her head. “I'm not sure. We were talking earlier about him possibly needing money. Sheriff, is anything missing?”

“Not that we saw. It seems his room was searched, but everything looked to be accounted for, including the bank keys and his wallet,” he replied. 

Peter snapped to attention at that, walking over to the Sheriff. “Can we see his room?” 

“Yeah, it's right down the hallway, it's the only door,” the Sheriff replied pointing towards the doorway. 

The three mammals silently made there way down the hallway, with Peter in the lead. The first thing they noticed when they entered the room was the emptied out dresser. Spread across the entire room, the now deceased hare's clothes were tossed about, the empty dresser drawers laying upside down on the bed. 

“This is wrong. I don't think this is the same guy,” Peter said. “Our guy is meticulous, he's methodical. Everything about this murder is messy. It doesn't make sense that it would be the same guy.”

“How sure are you that it's not the same guy?” Judy asked. 

“I'd say with 90% certainty. Nothing in this crime scene matches up with how our suspect operates. Think about it, take away the number carved on the victim's back, and what do we have?”

“We have a case that looks like a home robbery gone wrong,” Nick replied. “And according to. The autopsy report, time of death was between five and six pm, but the body wasn't found till 7:30pm. So there's a chance that whoever murdered him saw the news report about our killer, and is trying to pass it off so they can get away with it. Smart idea.”

“I'd agree that it definitely seems likely, but until we know for sure, we can't just pass this case off. I'll call Chief Slott and double check what he wants us to do, but right now we have no other leads to investigate, and in the slight chance that this is our guy, I think we should stay,” Judy responded, taking out her phone. 

“But it's more likely that this is a waste of time,” Peter argued. “We could be back at station, digging through the leads we do have, and interviewing the suspects we do have!” 

Judy grumbled slightly as she crossed her arms. “We already have uniforms shifting through those names for us, and we’re here now. A murder is still a murder, and if we’re in a position to solve it that’s much more beneficial than going back to Zootopia just to wait for reports! Right Nick?”

“Wasting our time isn't beneficial,” the raccoon interjected, turning towards the fox as well. “Every minute we spend here is another minute our killer is back in the city running free - surely you see that!” 

The fox glanced back and forth at the two mammals starting at him, before letting out a soft chuckle. “Well, you see Petey, as comfortable as our couch is, I'd rather not sleep on it when I get home, so….”

“Nick, be serious. What are your actual thoughts here,” Judy asked, rubbing her temples. 

The fox sighed as he rubbed his muzzle. “I think this case is stressing us all out with the pressure to catch this guy. I also think both of you guys have good points, and that yes - we can call the chief, but you know he'll just want us to go with whatever we decide. Here's how I see it: it's unlikely that this victim was murdered by our guy. But we can't say that with 100% certainty just yet. Wouldn't it be better to stay here and help look into it till we are certain without a doubt? If we stay here and look into it, we either prove this case is unrelated and help get some justice for Thomas or we prove that it is related and we gain more evidence to advance the case. It's a win win. If we leave and we are wrong, we could end up losing out on valuable evidence. Besides … we weren't exactly making much headway back home.” 

Peter furrowed his brow for a moment before he nodded. His shoulders relaxed and he looked away. “Your right. I'm sorry, solving this case is important for me. I'm pretty young to make it into the behavior science unit, and a lot of mammals expect me to fail.”

Judy smiled softly as she placed a paw on the racoons shoulder. “If there are any two mammals who understand that feeling, it's us. Speaking from experience, feeling like you have to prove yourself can make you feel frustrated and overwhelmed. I know we'll figure this out. Trust us, we have no doubts in your abilities.”

“Ah, to be young and emotionally unblanced again!” Nick said with a grin. 

Judy rolled her eyes as she unlocked her phone. “I'll text the chief and fill him in, and we can do a quick search if the house. I think we should approach this as a brand new case, unrelated to our current one for now.”

The other two mammals nodded in agreement, walking back into the living room to find the Sheriff standing on the front porch. 

“Hey, Sheriff? We'd like to run a few questions by ya about the scene,” Nick said. 

With a slight start, the older rabbit turned around to face Nick. “Oh certainly son! How can I help ya out?” 

“Did your officers notice any signs of forced entry?”

“Nope. All the windows were locked shut, and door showed no signs of bein’ tampered with.”

“What about physical evidence?” Peter asked. “Any paw prints or fur left at the scene?” 

“We collected a few different fur samples. Unfortunately, being way out here in Bunny Burrow, we don't really have a large CSI department. It'll be another day or two before we get all the results back on those samples.”

Judy rapidly clicked her pen in slight annoyance at the delay. “What about any known enemies? Any threatening letters? Being the owner of a bank, I'm sure there were some people angry at him.”

“I'm sure there were. We collected a few letters and emails from his office staff, but we haven't really gone over them on account of the murder bein’ connected to the serial killer and all.”

“We definitely would like to take a look at those if it's possible. We're not really convinced this is our guy that did this, so we're going to stay for a few days to confirm if it is or isn't.”

“Ya'll think someone is copyin’ your killer?” he asked, his eyes widening a bit in alarm. 

“It's certainly possible,” Peter said. “If you don't mind, we'd like to look into it for ourselves.” 

“Of course! We don't really get much in the way of violent crimes out here. You three could probably figure it all out in half the time that we could,” the Sheriff replied. “I'll get ya'll the information for all the bank staff as well as his sister’s information. Oh! And stop by the station tomorrow morning and we'll see about getting you guys set up into our system. It's not much, but it might help.”

“Thanks Roger, we'll catch this guy for ya’,” Nick said, unconsciously adopting the Sherrif’s cadence. “Now, if my stomach is at all correct, I believe we are approaching lunch time, and if we miss lunch, you might need to arrest Bonnie for murder next!” Nick joked, shaking the Sheriffs paw. 

The rabbit responded with a hearty laugh. “That is one rabbit I'd rather not piss off. Let's get you three to the Hopp's farm!” he replied, locking up the house. 

“Hopefully the pie is ready.” Nick said, licking his lips. “Do ya’ think Bonnie’s already threatening to turn the grandkits into rabbit stew for me if they misbehave?” 

Peter let our a soft gasp, “She doesn’t really say that to hear own grandkits does she?” 

Judy groaned as she climbed into the car. “Just wait till you meet her. Then it won't seem that surprising.”

“Well, at the very least it won't be a dull visit!” Nick said as the car started to speed down the road.


	13. Fluff and Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff all the way!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Sorry about the delay, i wanted to write something fluffy, but that still fit with the story, so I took a bit longer with it. I'm hoping the next chapter will be out in a week or so.et me know how you liked it, I haven't written this much fluff before. Thank you to Whatabummer for editing! I own nothing.

“Welcome to the Hopps Family Farm Petey! Almost 1500 acres of land, with what feels like the same amount of bunnies,” Nick said, gesturing expansively to the front door to the main house. The door was built into the side of a mammal-made hill, with small windows on either side of porch. To the far right of the main house was a large red barn where a dark green muddy old tractor sat in the shade of a tree in front. . The warm hues of orange and yellow from the setting sun, cast a wide glow across the expanse of fields that lay beyond the barn. A sea of wheat glowed in the sun, and shimmered like the surface of a lake as a warm breeze blew gently across its top. 

“Don't scare him too much Nick! In reality there's maybe 200 bunnies living on the farm at any given point. Add another hundred or so in visiting family, and with so much room it only feels like a lot during meals,” Judy said, ringing the bell on the door. 

“I'm not scared, your family sounds fun. And this place is absolutely gorgeous Judy!” Peter replied, taking in the expanse of the farm on front of them. 

Before she could reply, the large oak door swung open, revealing Stu and Bonnie both standing in the foyer. “Hey, you guys made it! Come on in!” Stu said happily, reaching for as many bags we he could take. 

The red fox shook his head as we tried to stop the older bunny, grabbing his own bags back. “Please pops, you’re gonna hurt your back again!” 

“He's right you know. You can't lift things like you used to hun,” Bonnie said and then turned towards the racoon, She grabbed his paw in both of hers and shook it warmly. “And you must be Peter! Welcome!”

The raccoon smiled as he returned the paw shake. “Thank you Mrs. Hopps, you have a beautiful place!” 

“Call me Bonnie, and you've only seen part of it,” she replied, leading the group into the house. 

A grumbling Stu shut the door as he hugged his daughter, “I'm older, not old you know. Still got plenty of bounce in my step.”

“You've raised over 300 kids and grandkids, I think you've done your share of work dad,” Judy replied as she wrapped an arm around her father’s side and walked with him into the house. 

The Hopps Warren was labyrinthian, in a word. Once through a cavern-like entryway and foyer, the entryway opened up into a massive room, and the mammals had a choice of five different doorways they could walk through. In the center of the room sat a small table with a large vase, a bouquet of red and white roses sat in the middle. A rich, oak wood paneling ran along the walls, an intricate design of fines and daisy's were carved into the panels. Peter paused, taking the entryway in with wide eyes, the raccoon shocked at the size of the house. 

“The far left will lead you to communal areas, like the living room and dining room. The middle will lead you to kitchen as well as to the back door, and the three on the right all lead to various bedrooms. The J's have pretty much all moved out by now, so just have Judy take you to one of the empty rooms,” Bonnie explained. “Dinner will be ready in about an hour, tho I suspect it'll take only a few minutes until a very excited Cotton realizes you're all here.”

The older rabbits slipped down the hallway on the far left, leaving the three detectives to head towards their rooms and get settled in. Judy lead the way, with Nick in the rear, carrying the bags. “Nick and I will take my old room, and you can have the one right across from us. No one has used that room in a few years, but Mom cleaned it and put new sheets for ya.”

The raccoon paused as they reached their destination, his eyes a bit wide as he glanced down the hall. “There must be miles of tunnels…” 

“Well you aren't wrong! Hey Carrots, you should send him the link to the interactive map,” Nick said. 

The raccoon let out a small chuckle. “A map wouldn't be a terrible idea.”

“Trust me, I understand. I was lost for almost three hours my first time I visited. I was close to starving!” Nick said. 

“It was barely an hour, and you had just ate, don't be so dramatic,” Judy shot back. 

Peter opened his phone as it went off, a confused look on his face. “You actually have an interactive map?” 

“It started off as a joke after Nick got lost. He requested a map, and one of my brothers who was studying app design decided to make one. Got him an A in the class and gave us something to give new visitors,” Judy said. “ Now let's all unpack, if we don't say hi to a few of my siblings, nieces, and nephews, we'll have to deal with a rioting mass of bunnies.”

“It sounds fluffy, but in reality is terrifying,” Nick warned Peter with a mock tremble in his voice before he followed Judy into their bedroom. 

The look of semi-concern that seemed to become a staple on the raccoons face since meeting the two detectives returned. He let out a sigh and entered his own room. The room was plain, the brown dirt walls rounded into a low ceiling. A small bed took up most of the far side of the room, a sky blue quilt rested on top of it. In-between the bed and an medium sized oak wood dresser sat a small night table with a lamp casting a warm orange light across the room. The raccoon sat his luggage on the bed, cracking the stiffness out of his back from the long day. Peter slowly meandered through the room, looking inside the dresser and setting up his phone charger. Though built in what was clearly a rustic style, the racoon was pleasantly surprised to see USB plugs built into the surface of the nightstand; a curious blend of modern and traditional.

A loud shriek in the distance pulled him from his musings, and he perked his ears to listen intently as the shrill sound started to get closer. Peter cautiously opened the door, looking out just in time to watch Nick get tackled by a very small, very fast moving ball of fluff. 

“Uncle Nick! You didn't tell me you guys were coming!” said the pile of fluff. Upon closer inspection, it dawned on Peter that the pile fluff must have been the young rabbit Bonnie had been talking about. Her fur was was a soft Grey, with cream colored paws. Piercing bright blue eyes scanned the room. The young rabbit wore a yellow sundress with lavender daisies, her eyes staring up at the fox, an odd mixture of anger and happiness apparent on her face. 

“Hey Cottonball! Sorry we didn't tell ya, it was a bit of a last minute trip. We're actually out here for work,” Nick replied, hugging the rabbit as he stood back up. “But I'm sure we can squeeze in some games while we're here.”

“Are ya guys gonna stay for the festival? It's this weekend you know! You can't miss it! I have a special secret part in the play,” the young bunny said, leaning in and whispering the last part. 

Nick glanced at Judy and shrugged. “Well have to see. I can promise that we'll try our best.”

The rabbit turned slightly with a frown, before she noticed the raccoon. Her ears perked up as she tilted her head. “Who are you?” 

The raccoon laughed and bowed slightly. “I'm Peter, I work with your aunt and uncle.” 

“Oh, you’re a police officer to?” the inquisitive five-year old asked. 

“Kind of sweetie. He actually works with the ZBI, he's helping us out right now,” Judy responded. 

“Oooohhh you're like a special police officer! Cool!” the young bunny replied. “Oh! Uncle Nick! Did ya bring the new trick like you promised?”

“Are you suggesting that I, the best uncle ever, could possibly forget to bring you something that I promised? How hurtful!” Nick said, clutching his chest. “I think I simply must lay down, I don't think I can go on!” 

Cotton laughed as Nick fell back onto the floor. The young bunny jumped on his chest and looked down. “Playing dead won't help you.” 

“I've trained her too well, it's really my own fault,” Nick said laughing. He stood up and placed the young bunny on the ground. “Wait here, of course I brought it!” Nick headed back into the room, coming out a few minutes later with a box in his paws. “Let's head to the main living room and I can show ya how it works.”

Judy grumbled as she tried to see what was in the foxes paws. “Nick, what con are you trying to teach her now?” 

“It's not a con, it's simply a magic trick that you just so happen to be able to do for money Carrots,” he replied, picking the young rabbit up and placing her on his shoulders. “You know I would never, ever corrupt your family with my shifty, foxy ways.”

Nick gave Judy and Peter an exaggerated wink to which Judy merely rolled her eyes and waved them away. 

“Don't get me wrong, I truly admire and respect Nick, but I wouldn't think teaching a young bunny how to con people could possibly be good for discrediting stereotypes of foxes,” Peter said as he watched the fox carry Cotton down the hall. 

“Oh he’s just joking - he loves to tease me about turning my family into a band of rogues and thieves. Really he just loves to entertain the little ones with the tricks, and boy do they love them - Cotton especially. . Funny enough, we took her to a magic act in the city last time they visited, and the magician used some of the stuff Nick showed her. She was so excited that she knew how it was done. The magician however, was not exactly pleased about a 5 year old spilling the beans on how things were done,” Judy replied with a chuckle, leading the two back towards the main part of the Warren. 

The sound of laughter echoed down the hall, reverberating off the dirt walls. A few moments later the two mammals popped out of the hallway and found themselves in the main living room of the house. Sitting cross legged on the floor sat Nick and Cotton, three cups sitting upside down between them. “Remember, palm like I showed you with the quarter, then ditch at the end. Now you try!” 

The young doe picked the cups up, showing that they were empty before quickly turning them over, a small red ball bouncing out of the middle one. “Oops…” 

“Here's a trick. When you go to flip it, start with your paw on the bottom, then lift, flip, and bring it down. But make sure you do it to all three, because if you do one differently then the others, people will know somethings up,” Nick said, demonstrating to the young rabbit as he talked. 

The rabbit nodded, taking the cups back and copied Nick, grinning as the cups landed without losing the ball. 

“There you go! Now before lifting up that cup, place the ball on top of the cup. You remember what the secret is right?”

“There's always one more ball then the audience realizes!” Cotton said. 

Peter turned to Judy as the two watched Nick teach Cotton how to maneuver the cups and balls. “So the tales that he used to be a master con-artist are true?” 

Judy chuckled as she shook her head. “He exaggerates of course, but yeah - by all accounts he was pretty good at it. But if you’re looking for stories about his past, you'll wanna ask him yourself. His past is for him to share, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only that knows almost all of it.”

“Really? After more then 15 years working with the ZPD, no one else knows his backstory?” the raccoon responded. 

“Well part of it has to do with the fact that he's dumb jerk.” the rabbit said chuckling. “He'll tell different people different stories from his past, and some even seem to contradict one another, and then let them talk amongst themselves trying to figure out what the whole story is. Sometimes mammals will walk up to him and ask him about a story they've heard and ask him if it's true. You know what he does? He'll just shrug and say, ‘a fox became a cop, anything is possible, right?’”

“Really? He's that against telling people his story?” 

“That's part of it. He's a private person definitely, but he's not closed off. At this point he just does it because he thinks messing with people is fun. He says he likes the ‘cloud of mystery’ that surrounds him,” Judy replied, rolling her eyes. 

The raccoon laughed as he looked back over at Nick. “Well it's working! For being a huge role model, I can't say I know too much about his time before becoming a cop.” 

“Feel free to ask him, just don't expect a straight answer,” Judy said with a soft grin. 

“I may not have known you guys very long, but I learned quickly that anything Nick says should be taken with a grain of salt,” the raccoon replied. 

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the young rabbit. “Judy and Judy's friend! Come watch my new trick!”

“His name is Peter sweetheart,” Nick said with a chuckle.

“I've been called a lot worse then ‘Judy's friend’. Let's see this new trick!” Peter replied, sitting on the ground next to Nick. Judy walked over, resting her arms on Nicks head as she watched her niece. “Yes let's see how uncle Nick is corrupting you now.”

The young doe picked the cups up, showing each cup was empty, along with three red balls in her paw. With a quick flip, she set each cup upside down on the floor, before placing a ball on top of the middle cup. As she reached for the other cup, she glanced over at Nick, who was miming the next move. With a nod, she picked up the cup on the left looked up at her audience. “we are gonna make the ball pass through the cup! Ready? One, two, three!” Cotton quickly dropped the cup on top of the middle one, then lifted it to show the ball was now under it. “And the first ball went through! But can we do it again, through 2 cups?” 

Cotton repeated movements twice more, resulting in all three balls ending up under the middle cup. Nick smiled proudly as Judy and Peter clapped, the raccoon letting out a few short laughs. “Wow, I'm very impressed! How did you do that?” 

“Nope, if I tell ya then the magic is gone!” the bunny said with a giggle. 

“Don't you know a magician never reveals their tricks, Petey?” Nick asked, shaking his head teasingly.

Judy stood up, pulling on Nick's paw to help him up. “For our next trick, we're all going to disappear from the living room and appear in the dining room since dinner should be ready.”

The raccoon stood up and grinned. “Well, after all the praises Nick's been singing of the food here, I can say I'm more than ready for some food.” 

Judy led the group into the large dining room, the large tables set up with a truly vast array of plates and utensils, with just as many rabbits filling the seats, and more streaming in from various doorways. Bonnie walked in from the doorway on the far side of the room, a large platter of steaming vegetables in her paws. “Perfect timing guys! Come have a seat, Stu should be in shortly.”

“So the 200 or so rabbits wasn't an exaggeration,” Peter said as he stared down the length of the massive oak table. Catching himself, he stopped staring aghast and took a seat across from Nick and Judy at the front of the table. 

“I'll tell ya, it's a lot fewer than my first visit! I thought that I was drunk and seeing double, but no, there was just that many bunnies. I never truly understood the expression ‘a sea of mammals’ until then,” Nick said. 

“Hope you haven't gotten to lost yet Peter did Judy show you the app?” Stu asked, taking a seat next to his wife. 

“She did, it certainly seems helpful!” Peter replied, taking the pot of mashed potatoes from the rabbit. “Nick and Judy tell me that all of this food comes straight from your farm.” 

“Yup! I grow ‘em, she cooks ‘em,” Stu said, smiling at Bonnie. 

“Oh, it’s not just me, lots of the older kits help me in the kitchen. It takes a small army to feed a couple hundred mouths!” Bonnie said.

“Mfff, holy crap, you weren't kidding Nick!this is seriously some the best food I've ever had,” Peter said. 

“Aw thank you so much hun!” Bonnie said with a warm smile. “But please - tell us about you a bit. Did you grow up in Zootopia as well?” 

“No, I actually grew up a few counties over. In Podunk to be exact,” he replied. 

The sound of Nick coughing caught the raccoon off guard, glancing over to see the fox thumping his chest, breaking out in a laugh as his throat cleared. “Really? You're from Podunk County? I did not take you for a county coon. You certainly don’t have the accent!” 

“Well we weren't farmers, and we lived near main street… But compared to Zootopia it definitely is a tiny town. I moved out to the Marshlands when I was in my twenties to attend the academy and become a cop out there.”

“Oh Podunk is a lovely town! We sell at the farmers market there occasionally. We love to eat at that little dinner, the one with the stuffed waffles,” Stu said. 

“The Coral Cafe! Yeah, that was my favorite breakfast spot growing up,” Peter responded. 

“That's the one! So how'd ya end up workin’ with our Nick and Judy?” 

“I was just lucky enough to be paired with them! They were a big inspiration for me actually becoming a cop, so it's definitely an honor to get to work with them,” the raccoon said. 

“I made it onto his wall. Just saying,” Nick said, picking Cotton up as she struggled to climb onto the chair, placing her in his lap. 

“We were both on his wall Nick,” Judy said absentmindedly, picking at her vegetables. 

“And we not only met but exceeded every expectation of his,” Nick replied. 

“Well, I mean….I can honestly say that it hasn't been what I expected,” Peter replied with a chuckle. “The posters and news articles definitely made them seem more serious then they are.”

“Nick overwhelm you a bit at first?” Bonnie asked with a chuckle. 

“Oh most definitely,” the raccoon said. 

“I am not overwhelming, people are just under prepared to keep up with me,” Nick interjected. 

“Yup, I was definitely unprepared! Judy's kept him in check though.”

“Part of the job description. It was in the fine print of the wedding contract,” she replied. 

“The general public can't handle me at my full potential and I have no way of turning it off, so it's the bunny's job to keep it contained for the safety of everyone,” he replied with a smirk. 

Bonnie stood and started to gather the plates, shooing Nick away as he stood to help her. “Don't you dare. You guys spent the day working on traveling. I'll get some of the kids to help me with them.”

Nick raised his paws in defeat and shook his head. “Fine, but expect me to help with some of it tomorrow then.”

“Well see mister,” she replied, taking the dishes into the kitchen. 

Stu stood up, gathering a few dishes as well as he called a few of the kids over to help. “If you want to join us, we were planning on watching a movie in the main living room tonight.”

“Thanks for the offer dad, but honestly I'm beat. I think in gonna get ready for bed and maybe read a bit. You two can feel free to join them tho,” Judy responded. 

“I don't think I'll make it through a movie, and I'd rather not risk falling asleep around all these shady bunnies,” Nick said, causing Stu to laugh. 

“Don't want your fur dyed purple again?” he asked. 

“Wait what? Are there pictures?” Peter asked, his voice laced with amusement. 

“We don't talk about that,” Nick deadpanned. 

“I'll see if I can find any for ya Peter,” Stu said, patting the raccoons shoulder as they walked towards the living room. 

“Show him and I'll have Bonnie turn you into an actual stew! You'll be Stu the stew!” Nick shouted after the two mammals. “Heh Stu as a stew.” 

Judy shook her head, taking the fox's paw as she headed down the hall. “You are as terrible as your jokes.”

“I'm freaking hilarious, thank you very much.”

“Sure you are hon. Let's get to bed, I'm exhausted.”

“Gladly. But I am going to require a good night kiss. I'm high maintenance you know.”

Judy chuckled and kissed the fox, patting his cheek. “Trust me I know. Now bed. We can't catch a killer tomorrow if I don't get enough sleep.” 

“Well let's hop to it!” he replied with a grin. 

“On second thought … I wonder if they still have the pull out bed for you.” 

“That's hurtful. Besides, then you don't get to use my tail as blanket.”

“Point to the fox - you get to stay for now,” Judy replied closing the door, exhaustion tugging at her eyelids as she flopped on the bed, Nick climbing in and pulling her to his chest, his tail laying around her feet, the two slipping into silence as they drifted off to sleep.


	14. Murder in the Burrows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's solve this murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhheeyyyy I'm not dead! Life is settling down, I'm in a new job that's a lot closer to home and will hopefully give me more time. So please enjoy the next chapter, and the following as this terrible story continues! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, and thank you to Whatabummer for editing! 
> 
> I don't own Zootopia. If I did I'd be driving a much nicer car.

"More coffee hun?"

Peter looked up from the files that were scattered in front of him on a small table in the Hopps family kitchen. The early morning rays from the sun streamed through the window of the burrow, warming the fall air. "Thank you Bonnie," he replied, hiding his cup out for the older rabbit. 

He cradled a tablet with the crime scene photos from the day before in his lap, keeping it close to ensure he could switch it off in case any young rabbits walked in; after all, traumatizing Bonnie and Stu’s kits seem like a terrible way to repay their hospitality.   
Bonnie filled his cup to the brim, and smiled when Peter took a minute to savor the aroma of the simple dark brew. She put the coffee pot back and rested her arms against the counter as she quizzically looked on at Peter. "I have to say, I never thought I'd see the day that someone beat Judy to a case file."

"I'd blame that on her marrying a nocturnal mammal. Typically I would still be asleep as well, but being in a new place, it takes me a day or two to adjust and be able to actually sleep."

"Well let me know if there's anything I can getchya to help you sleep," she replied, turning around to start setting up the stove for breakfast. 

"Thanks - the coffee is a good start and I'm sure I'll be fine tonight. I got used to the sounds of the city and forgot what the sounds of the countryside were like. It's peaceful, but the contrast is a bit jarring," he replied. Pushing the files away with a yawn, Peter rested his head in his paws. "Need any help with breakfast? I don't think I'm fully awake enough to understand these files yet anyway."

Bonnie laughed as she pulled out a basket of fresh blueberries, setting them on the counter. "How are your pancake flipping skills?" 

"They're a bit rusty, but I'm sure I'll pick it right back up. I was an expert when I was younger. I would help my mother cook. She always said that a male that didn't know how to cook was useless, and she didn’t want me marrying some ‘undesirable’ just because they could cook.” Peter said with a laugh, standing up next to rabbit and taking an apron from her. “In retrospect I’m pretty sure she was joking, but she would pick a few dishes every week to teach me,"

"Now that's a smart woman. I did a similar thing with my children, but with so many it was more of a weekly class. Some took to it better then others. We'll just say it's a good thing for Judy that Nick can cook," Bonnie said with a chuckle. 

"It honestly blew me away," the racoon said, mixing the batter as Bonnie cut up the blueberries. "I ate dinner with them right before we got the call to come out here. I'm afraid to say anything to him - his head is big enough already - but that was one of the best meals I've ever had."

"I can make a killer blueberry pie, so your classes didn't go completely to waste you know," Judy said around a yawn as she stepped into the kitchen behind the pair. "Mom doesn't usually accept help in the kitchen. You should consider it a great honor."

"I could tell he had the soul of a cook," the older bunny said, taking the bowl from the racoon and finishing up the batter. "Should I start a new pot of coffee, or will we not be seeing Nick for a few more hours?"

"He should be down shortly. He was mumbling his 5th 'OK Nick, time to get up' to himself when I headed down."

"I'll start the pot in about 10 minutes then. He should be right on time for the pancakes,” Bonnie said. “You know, I’m still amazed with how well you nocturnal mammals cope with a diurnal schedule. When I was 16 I had a summer job at Sam’s Diner off the Podunk Turnpike, and the night shift just about killed me!“

“I’ve tried to get Nick to agree to us switching to a nocturnal schedule for a few months out of the year, but you know how stubborn he is,” Judy said as she walked over to the coffee pot.

“That’s probably for the best,” Peter said. “The sleep schedule isn’t too hard to get used to, but it’s the day or two you spend switching over to it that are just miserable.”

Coffee in paw, Judy snatched a blueberry from the top of the basket and gave her mother a brief hug before joining Peter at the table.

“Busy day today, hon?" Bonnie asked, lifting a measuring cup up to check the level. 

"Probably. There's a lot we need to check out today. Would it be OK if we took over one of the offices to work on the case? We need to sort through everything and start getting organized," Judy mused, sipping at her own mug of coffee. 

"Oh of course dear. The B section is free, use what you need."

"Thanks Mom." 

Ten minutes later almost to the second, the russet fur of a red fox appeared in the doorway, blurry eyed yet groomed and ready for the day. With tired, dragging steps he made his way over to a pair of outstretched bunny paws. Nick hugged his wife before,taking the cup that was in her paws and kissing Judy's cheek. "You’re an angel, Carrots. Is that blueberry pancakes I smell?" 

Judy nodded as a plate ended up in front of her. "Yup! Handmade not just from Mom, but also from Peter. Mom let him into the kitchen to help. Let that sink in." 

Nick stared at the raccoon, his eyebrows raised as he poured himself a second cup of coffee, his first having vanished down his throat in seconds - granted, it was a rabbit sized mug, but Peter was continually impressed at Nick’s appetite for caffeine. 

"Not many people get that honor!” Nick said as he pinched a handful of blueberries from the nearly empty basket. “I had to go through three different trials before I was allowed in. Her standards must be slipping."

"She said it was in my soul," Peter replied modestly. 

"Your soul?” Nick scoffed playfully, “Then what's in mine?" 

"Being a twat?" Judy replied, chewing on her pancakes. 

"Such big, hurtful words from such a tiny package. Also - twat? Will you be needing a spot o tea next? You need to stop binging Toddchurch and Doctor Zoo."

"Eat your pancakes darling," Bonnie said, placing a plate in front of the fox. 

Nick stared at the plate for a second, glancing back at Judy. 

"It's truly amazing…" Peter said to the older rabbit, watching the two. "You can literally see the wheels spinning, trying to decide what's more important; food or verbal sparring."

Bonnie wiped her paws on her apron, leaning in to whisper back. "It's my blueberry pancakes. The food is going to win, I can guarantee it."

Nick huffed and dug into the pancakes, a sly smirk resting on Judy's face. 

"Told ya. I'll be around the house if you guys need me. Help yourself to more coffee if needed sweetheart," Bonnie said, patting Nicks back as she started to walk out of the room. 

"Your mom is awesome Judy. These pancakes are melt in your mouth good," Peter said, finishing up his plate. 

"I come out here to live the life of a glutton for a reason Petey," Nick said, piling two more pancakes onto his plate. "So what's on the agenda for today Carrots?" 

"Mom said we can set up shop in the office in the B section. I figure we could start with setting up the case and reviewing the evidence and photos, and start looking at potential suspects and interviews we'll need to set up."

"Well coffee and pancakes are portable, so now sense lazing around when we can get started," Nick said, picking up the plate of pancakes and heading down the hall. 

 

"Alright, lets review everything again but with fresh eyes.” Nick said as he pinned the last photo onto the whiteboards. “We have a bank manager shot once in the head, but nothing stolen from his house. There were a number of reports from the scene that were to be sent over in the next day or so to the sheriff, have we got copies?" 

Peter shook his head as he handed his tablet to Nick. "Should be in either later today or tomorrow. The sheriff said we could stop by to gain access to his system, but I just called up their IT department and got us access to save us the trip. We'll get the reports as soon as they arrive."

"In the meantime, I think we should head to the bank and talk to the employees. Maybe some of them could shed some light on Thomas and any skeletons hiding in his closet, or if there was anyone not so happy with their banking service," Nick said. 

"Don't forget about his sister. We should see about stopping by to talk to her to," Peter chimed in. 

Judy nodded, leaning against the oak desk in the middle of the room. “If we are looking at this as a separate murder, one not connected to our killer, does the method of killing or anything from the crime scene help with your profile of our killer Peter?"

The raccoon stood up, taking the photo of the victim off the board and holding it up. "I've been thinking a bit about that actually. Our victim died from a single gunshot wound from point blank range. The medical examiner placed the gun at about 6-12 inches from the victims head, and had the bullet entering at a downwards angle. Nick if you would?" the raccoon motioned to the spot in front of him, wordlessly asking the fox to play the victim. The red fox walked over to stand in front of the raccoon, crossing his arms as he watched him. 

"The bullets trajectory into our victim gives us our first clue," Peter said, smirking slightly as he held his hand up to Nick's head in the shape of a gun. 

Nick furrowed his brows as he looked at the raccoon, his eyes following his paw as it lifted towards his head." I get the feeling you’re enjoying this too much." Nick paused, raising his eyebrows as he caught onto what the raccoon ment. "If the trajectory was down," he said, dropping to his knees. The raccoons paw followed, now pointing downwards towards the foxes head. 

"Then our killer would have had to be taller than our victim," Peter finished. 

"How do we know that the victim wasn't on his knees like I am? If that was the case, wouldn't it be possible for the killer to have been shorter?" Nick asked. 

"Fire the bullet Peter," Judy said, walking over to the two males. 

"Uh… Bang?" Peter mimicked a gun going off, raising an eyebrow at Judy. 

"Nick, you were just shot in the head. What happens next?" 

"I die," he replied, falling forward and dramatically flopping onto the ground. 

"Exactly. Face first most likely, or rolling to the side - but our victim was found on his back, which would point to him being in his feet, not his knees. Which leaves us with a more then likely taller killer," Judy finished. 

Nick stood back up, brushing off his pants. "Nice job Nancy Shrew. So we can rule out most rabbits. That's helpful being in Bunny Burrow, we just cut down the suspect list to like, three mammals."

Judy rolled her eyes, hier paws resting on the back of one the chairs. "It may help us narrow it down, but there are a lot more species on Bunny Burrow then just rabbits."

"One has to wonder why you would call a city 'Bunny Burrow' if it isn't inhabited by exclusively bunnies. That seems unfair to the rest of folks living here," Nick pondered out loud. 

"You can ponder that on the way to meet with Thomas's sister. If we're lucky it'll keep you silent for the ride," Judy said with a smile. 

"No prison, either mental or physical, can keep me quiet madam." 

Peter grabbed the keys off the table and tossed them to Judy. "And isn't that just a damn shame."

"Hush Stripes, we can still turn you into dinner if we want to. I'm sure Bonnie will be able to season you really well."

 

 

Stu’s beat-up old pickup truck came to a stop in front of a rusted mailbox, the dust from the tires settling behind it. Beyond the mailbox stood a faded pink house, a rose garden lining the brick walkway up to the pastel yellow door. The sun hung directly overhead, the day unusually hot for the middle of fall. A breeze rustled the red and yellow leaves of the two oak trees that bookended the house as the three officers stepped out of the truck. 

"Looks more like the house of a grandmother then a young doe’s," Nick said, adjusting the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. 

Judy started to walk towards the door, waving the two forward. "It's just the style of Bunny Burrow. Bright pastel colors are the norm.."

"It looks more like someone vomited after eating crayons," he replied, stepping up to the door and rapping his knuckles against the frame. "I think my glasses protect me more from the bright colors then they do from the sun."

The sound of a bird squawking in the distance echoed around them as they waited on the porch. Nick raised his paw to knock again, but was stopped by the sound of the deadbolt sliding out of place. With a groan, the old yellow door slowly swung open, a young hare standing on the other side, heavy bags under her eyes. A flicker of recognition crossed her face as her eyes fell across Judy's. "Oh, officers! Please come in, Sheriff Hopper said you guys would be stopping by. Come in." 

The young hare stepped aside, letting the three mammals in. "Please, sit. Can I get you anything?" she asked, gesturing towards the kitchen. 

"Thanks, but I think we're OK. We know this isn't an easy conversation to have Stephanie, but we're hoping any information you can give us will help us catch your brothers killer," Judy said, sitting across from the hare. "Your brother owned the bank on Thumper Avenue. Did he say anything to you about maybe an angry customer or employee? Anyone he maybe had a problem with?" 

Stephanie wiped her eyes, looking away from the three mammals. "No, not that he had told me at least. I wouldn't be surprised if he had angry customers though. It's been a harder harvest season, and the economy isn't what it used to be. The banks been having to send out more foreclosures lately. Thomas always hated that part of the job, but it's unfortunately just a part of it. He honestly did try to give them every option before going that route."

"We'll look into that further with the bank," Peter said softly, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Is there anything else you can think of that we might need to know?" 

Stephanie looked down at her paws, a few tears falling down her cheeks. "He… jeez it feels like I'm betraying him." 

"If it helps us catch his killer, then it's definitely not betraying him," Nick said. 

The hare looked up at Nick, her eyes glistening as she sat back in her chair. "He was involved in an affair with a married woman. A badger named Cathy Borun. I found out a few weeks ago. I didn't agree with it, but I told him I wouldn't say anything. It wasn't my place to, I didn't even know the couple."

"That's good information Stephanie. This isn't a betrayal, but it could be the first steps to catching who did this," Judy said, squeezing the hare's paw. "If you think of anything else, give us or Sheriff Hopper a call." 

"Thank you officers," Stephanie said, closing the door behind the mammals. 

"So first up on the suspect list would be whoever Mr. Borun is. I'd guess he probably wouldn't be too happy to find out that his wife was doing the hanky panky with another man," Nick said, leaning against the truck. "Shall we go ask him about his feelings on the matter?" 

"Actually, I was thinking we should head to the bank first. If Thomas was having an affair, then chances are it made its way through the office gossip. Plus we can check in on those foreclosure leads," Peter replied. 

Judy cranked the key in the ignition of the truck, the engine sputtering to life. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

 

 

Bunny Burrow Credit Union was an old bank in the middle of downtown. Sitting on the corner of Walnut and 2nd street, the bank was an off-white building made of stucco with the word 'Bank' painted in black lettering above the door. 

"Well at least you'll always know what this building is," Nick said, looking up at the sign. 

"And here I was thinking it was too subtle," Peter said, shutting the door to the truck. 

Nick opened the door to the bank, propping it open for the other two mammals. "That's because you're not with the times Petey. Single word descriptions are all the rage right now."

The fox stepped into the bank behind Judy, taking his sunglasses off and looking around. The bank was old, that much was obvious. On the far end of the bank, straight ahead of the door, there was three tellers, each in their own booth. The booths were wooden, a sheet of glass separating the teller from the customer. In the middle of the room sat a few standing desks, deposit slips and other forms organized in the middle of them. On the right side of the building we're four large windows, an iron security gate covering each one, letting in enough light to warm the bank. 

"I would bet money that John Armadillinger and his gang tried to rob this bank," Nick said. 

"It's definitely been around for a while, at least as long as I can remember. They actually will use the bank on the weekends for engagement shoots sometimes. At least they did when I still lived here," Judy replied as they walked up to a young rabbit, the name tag on her chest read 'Isabella.' 

"Hi there, I'm Detective Judy Hopps - ZPD,” Judy said showing the teller her badge. “These are my associates Detectives Wilde and Baxter. We were hoping to speak to someone in charge regarding Thomas Stone?"

"Oh, yes of course. Let me page Mr. Slink. He's the one you'll want to talk to. That poor man, he didn't deserve to die," the rabbit said, punching in a few numbers on the telephone in front of her. "It's the ZPD, they're here in regards to Thomas….I'll let them know sir." The young rabbit hung up the phone and turned back to the three mammals. "He'll be down momentarily."

Peter slid his paws into his pockets, looking around the bank. "Did you think Thomas was a good boss?" 

"For the most part. He had his faults, but what boss doesn't?" she replied. 

"Faults like having an affair?" Judy asked. 

"I heard something about that … but I never saw anything that proved that with my own eyes.” Isabella said quickly.

“I know it’s bad manners to talk about this kind of thing so soon after his death, but it’s very important that you tell us what you heard,” Nick said. “Our job isn’t to pass judgement on how mammals live their lives.”

“Well … the rumor was that it had been going on for a while and that Thomas had bought a ring and was going to ask her to leave her husband," Isabella said. 

"So you never met them? The mistress and the husband I mean," Nick asked. 

The young rabbit shook her head. "No. I think that the women worked for a loan agency. They met at some mixer for the small finance community we have out here. But again, this is all just rumors I've heard, I don't have any evidence myself."

"Most rumors have at least some small grain of truth in them, however distorted," Peter said. 

A moment later the door behind the tellers opened, and a middle aged white ferret scurried out. He was dressed in a slightly disheveled black dress shirt and slacks, a red tie whipping around his frame. A pair of small round glasses sat against his black eyes, his phone in paw sending off a message. The ferret stopped short in front of the three officers, looking up with a dazed expression before speaking in a staccato avalanche of words. "Officers, hi - hello. Sorry for the wait, it's been a madhouse here today. I was Mr. Stones right hand mammal, but I was very much not prepared to run the bank when I came in this morning like I thought I was. Follow me and I'll answer any questions you might have. Thank you Isabella." 

The ferret turned on a dime, his upper body seeming to dart in one direction and yank his lower body along with him. Walking back towards the door he came from he waved a paw to the detectives. "Onwards. My name is Henry Slink. What can I get for you three today?" 

"I'd say step one would be for you to take a breath so you don't pass out," Nick said. 

"Hah! It's funny because I'm pretty sure I've come close to that a few different times today. Thomas always made it look so easy but damn this place is a freaking handful. Jenny, could you get us some waters, we're going to be in my office," Henry said as they passed the receptionist. 

Henry took a seat at his desk, his office a small white room with a glass door and window separating it from the rest of the backside of the bank. 

"As you know we're looking into the depth of Thomas Stone, and we were hoping you might be able to provide us with some insight on any threats that might have been made towards him. Maybe an unhappy customer or disgruntled employee?" Peter asked. 

"Hmm,” Henry said thoughtfully. “Thomas had a lot of people upset, but that comes with the job. No one is happy to have their house foreclosed or to get hit with overdraft fees. Believe me, I’m not looking forward to having to do that myself.”

Henry looked forlornly at small pile of manilla folders and sighed.

“We did have one incident recently with a client whose house was foreclosed. He was very unhappy, and Thomas felt it was important to meet with him personally. He did everything he could to help the client out, but ultimately it ended with the client screaming and cussing Thomas out. We nearly called the Sherrif, but the client stormed out before anything escalated out of control. I can pull the file and get his information for ya." 

" That would be great. What about the employees? No matter how great a boss is, there's pretty much always someone that doesn't agree with their decisions or management style," Nick said and then nodded thankfully to Jenny as the older vixen placed four glasses of water on the desk. 

"Thanks Jenny. Most of the employees loved Thomas. He always tried to go out of his way to make sure everyone felt appreciated and supported," he replied. 

"Except for Jake," Jenny interjected. "He hated Thomas, remember?" 

"Jake? From like, 3 months ago?” Henry asked, scratching at his chin as he thought. “He wasn't Thomas's biggest fan, that's for sure.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Jenny noted.

“Jake was a Bobcat, a college student working here part time as he went to school,” Henry explained. “Thomas ended up firing him over his constant tardiness. Poor kid struggled to make it on time after class, and felt that Thomas wasn't fair with him. He was definitely pissed when he left after being fired." Henry turned around and grabbed a few papers from the printer. "Here is a file with his information, and here’s our file on Gabriel Parker - he was the Cheetah with the foreclosed house." 

Judy took the papers from him, flipping through then to check all the information. "Perfect. Thank you so much for your time. If you think of anything else, just give us a call." 

"And, uh, good luck with the whole trying not to pass out thing. Jenny, make sure he drinks his water," Nick said, following the other two mammals out the door.


	15. Procedures and Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the crime solving continue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is here! Thank you Whatabummer for editing, and enjoy the continuation of murder and mehem and fluff and stuff! As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. 
> 
> I don't own zootopia. I wish I did. But I don't.

"Hey Carrots, what does a magician working in a morgue say?" Nick asked as the heavy metal doors of the Bunny Burrow mortuary shut behind the three mammals. 

Judy's head snapped to her left, furrowing her brows. "Nick, now's not an appropriate time for that kind of a joke."

"Who am I going to offend? Come on, I bet you're just dying to know the answer!" 

"I'll bite. What does a magician working on a morgue say?" Peter asked, grinning. 

"Abracadaver!" Nick replied waving a paw in the air. 

Judy shook her head, a sigh of disappointment slipping from her lips. "Why would you encourage him Peter?" 

"Because it amuses me. Hey, door 17 is over here," he replied, giving a soft grunt as he rigged at the refrigerated door handle. With a creek it slide open, revealing the ice cold body of a middle aged hare laying on his back. Peter passed around a box of latex gloves, sliding a pair on as he stepped up to the body. A quiet calm filled the air, as reviewing an autopsy wasn't new to anyone in the room. Peter had seen his fair share of bullet wounds and slit throats, but the brutality of an execution style shot through the head still made him grimace. "Single gunshot through the head, just as they said. Nothing too surprising on first glance." 

"Huh, it seems the medical examiner ran a second report," Judy said, picking a file up off the table. "The number ‘8’ that was carved into his back - the gashes are consistent with a kitchen knife. We didn't find a kitchen knife at the scene, did we?" 

"No, there wasn't even a mention of one in any report. Speaking of the medical examiner, where is he? I don't think I've ever been in a morgue without one," Nick replied. 

"Unfortunately with so many rabbits, the medical examiner tends to have his plate full. He had 4 autopsies this morning, and agreed to allow us to visit the body without him so he didn't get backed up on work," Judy replied.

“Uh - when this thing goes to trial, the defense attorney is going to have a field day if anyone realizes we were alone with the body,” Nick said dubiously. “They’re going to imply that we faked the whole thing, and you know how much juries love a good conspiracy theory.”

Judy pointed to two different cameras that sat perched at the top of two opposite corners in the room.

“Smile - you’re on video Slick” she said with a wink and turned back to the corpse.

Peter flipped the body over, examining the large number eight carved into the victims back, his gloved paw lightly tracing the number. "Well … as for the knife, either the murderer ditched it somewhere, or they still have it. Also, look at the way the eight is carved. It's sloppy and brutal, not a precise or clean cut. It was definitely done in a hurry. If I were to guess, I'd say carving the number was an afterthought." 

"Not a bad idea in theory. You murder someone and no one ever suspects it was you. They’ll just assume it's another victim of a deranged killer.Does the report say anything about the bruising on his chest?It looks consistent with other cases we've had in which the victim was punched or hit before being killed." 

Judy flipped through the report, nodding. "He says the bruising appeared after the first report, and more then likely the victim sustained the injury moments before being shot."

"So our killer sucker-punched him in the chest, knocked him to his knees, and then shot him. Sounds like a pretty pissed off guy."

Judy walked around the cadaver and table to a series of lockers on the other side of the room. "These should be the personal effects lockers. And … ah here we go!," she said, pulling one open. She delicately removed a clear plastic bag that held the clothing of the victim. "Let's see what we have here." 

Unsealing the bag, Judy carefully laid out the contents of the bag. The cream white dress shirt was wrinkled and splattered with drops of blood, contrasting with the stain free pants next to it. The contents also included the victim’s wallet and phone, as well as a half torn cloth with a buckle on one end and a pink stylized B visible near the other end. 

With a slight frown, Judy picked up the piece of cloth, showing it to the others. "Guys, Thomas didn't grow up in Bunny Burrow. So then, why is there half of a Bunny Burrow Community College lanyard in his bag of possessions?" 

"He did work at a bank not to far from the college. It's not out of the question that he would support them, is it?" Peter asked, tossing his used gloves into the trash bin before sliding the body back into the refrigerated drawer. 

"There's nothing in the reports about it. I think we should make a stop at the sheriff's office on our way to interview our suspects. Maybe they can tell us where exactly it was found."

The fox closed the locker, securing the victims belongings and placed the broken lanyard in a new evidence bag. "You know, Jenny from the bank mentioned a college student that was mad at Thomas." 

"It's a solid theory. Let's see if we can chat with this guy after hitting up the sheriff's office," Judy replied. "I have a feeling this won't take too long to crack." 

 

"Is…. Is That dial up? Christ almighty you guys need an upgrade!" Nick said in surprise.

The interior of the Tri-Burrows Sheriff’s department was outdated at best, fake wood panels made up the interior walls. Below the mammals feet was a brownish grey carpet, worn down over the years and stained to oblivion. An ancient CRT monitor sat atop a wooden desk, and the telltale noise of dial up screeched out from the speakers. 

"Unfortunately none of the big providers seems all that interested in running a broadband cable all the way out here just for us. But I'm working on findin' a fix to it - know a few folks thinking of setting up some relays on a few radio towers to set up their own little ISP." Sheriff Hopper said with a sigh. “But in the meantime, we make do.”

"My honest condolences to the amount of time you've lost waiting for things to load. We were stopping by to talk to the officers that collected the evidence from the scene. We're hoping they remember where they found this," Nick said, holding the evidence bag up.

"Yeah, that would be Bucky and Vince. Hold on, I'll grab them," the Sheriff replied. He walked over to the door connecting his office to the main police station, calling the two officers over. "Hey, our detectives want to know a bit more about a piece of evidence found on the body." 

"Sure thing Sheriff," a muffled voice answered from the other room.

. The three detectives took a step back as the two deputies stepped into the room. The difference between the two was almost comical; Standing side by side was a large brown white-tailed deer buck, his antlers barely missing the ceiling. Standing beside him was a jet black rabbit, the tips of his ears barely clearing the deer's belly next to him. 

"Whatchya guys need to know?" the rabbit asked, leaning against the sheriff's desk. 

"Do you remember where exactly you found this?" Judy asked, handing the duo the broken lanyard. 

"Yeah, of course. It was awfully strange. He had it shoved up the arm of his shirt. I only noticed it when I lifted his paw up to check for any signs of the murderers fur. It was slightly sticking out. I pulled it and added it to the evidence bag," the deer said. 

"Why wouldn't you add that to your report? This could be a pretty big lead," Judy asked, a hint of irritation on her voice. 

The rabbit glanced at the Sheriff, visibly nervous. "Oh … , you are completely right, we should have mentioned it. I’m sorry Mrs. Ju-” the rabbit caught himself. “Detective Hopps, but you have to understand this is our first murder in years, and it shook us a bit. We’re only deputies, and it was such a small price of cloth we didn't think anything of it. I mean, it's just a buckle, it could be anything, right?" 

A wave of disappointment and irritation washed over Judy, her ears flicking towards the two. For her, the book of procedures was also close at hand, and not following it was akin to a sin. She knew that many criminals had been let go due to officers not following procedures, but she had always vowed that wouldn't happen because of her. 

Nick placed a paw on Judy's shoulder, pulling her back slightly as he stepped forward. He could feel the irritation dripping out of Judy's pores, a feeling which he had gotten to know over the years. It was this feeling that alerted him that it was time to step in, giving the doe a chance to compose herself. "I get it. Murder isn't an easy thing to deal with, even for us, and we pretty much deal exclusively with it. We just want to make sure we have all the evidence, as even the smallest thing can make a difference. Now, is there any other evidence that we should know about that wasn't in the reports?" 

The deer rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. "Would finding the bank keys on the porch as we were about to leave count?"

Judy's eyes snapped closed as she gave a growl, her fists balled. Taking a breath she relaxed her self, her piercing gaze making the two officers shudder. "Yes, that would be something worth sharing." 

"I didn't know rabbits could growl," the deer said, leaning over to his partner. 

"They normally can't," the black rabbit replied, his eyes wide with fear. 

"Careful boys, this bunny is part fox, and she can bite. She makes the tigers and bears on the swat team nervous. You got anything else you'd like to share?" Nick asked. 

The two deputies shook their heads, backing up slowly. 

"Dismissed then," Hopper said, shooing the two off. With a sigh, the sheriff sat at his desk, looking up at the three mammals in front of him sheepishly. "I really am sorry about the oversight. It's true, we haven't actually needed to follow the procedures for a murder in years, as we haven't had one in years. That's not an excuse for not doing things the way we're supposed to." 

"It's alright Hopper. We got everything cleared up, and we have some genuinely good leads now. We'll catch this guy in no time," Judy said. 

"Speaking of, we got a suspect to interview. We'll keep you updated," Nick said, flipping his glasses out of his pocket and onto his face. "Let's roll."

The three mammals bid the Sheriff goodbye, heading out past the two officers sitting at their desks in the main station. 

 

The sudden silence that followed the sound of the truck engine being killed shook Nick out of a thoughtful half-doze. He pulled the handle and the door to the truck creaked open. He and his partners spilled out of the truck to find themselves in front of a quaint looking ranch house at the end of a dirt road that wound away from the highway.. The walls of the house were covered in a growing jasmine vine, and short shrubs lined the brick walkway to the door. 

"So he still lives at home then. No way this is his house," Nick said, leading the group to the door. He rang the bell, peering into the window. A moment later, an older bobcat answered the door. A look of surprise and confusion seemed to cross her face, opening the screen door. 

"Hey there folks, is everything alright?" she asked. 

"Hello ma’am, my name is Nick Wilde - I’m a detective with the ZPD working with the Sheriff’s department. These are my partners, Detectives Judy Hopps and Peter Baxter. We were hoping to speak to Jake. Is he home?" 

" He's just down in his room. Is everything ok? He's not in trouble is he?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. 

"We just want to ask him a few questions about his old employer is all ma’am," Judy replied, reassuring the older feline. 

Nick noted with some amusement that Judy’s voice had subconsciously adopted a bit of the country twang prevalent in the region.

"Who's at the door ma?" came a voice from down the hall. A second later Jake appeared behind his mother. He was slightly taller than Nick, with the defined muscles of someone that worked out semi regularly. 'Muscles that could bruise a hare's chest' Judy thought. 

The younger bobcat's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What's going on?" 

"It's the police hun. They say they have some questions about your old employer." 

"If you wouldn't mind Jake, perhaps we can talk out here just us? We don't want to involve more people than necessary on an ongoing investigation," Peter said. 

Jake nodded, patting his mom on the shoulder and reassuring her he would be fine. Stepping outside he closed the door behind him. "How can I help?"

"Have you heard about Thomas Stone?" Nick asked, leaning against the porch railing. 

"Yeah, he was murdered by that serial killer guy. It's a shame, but I only worked with the guy for a month or so. Never really got to know the guy." 

"Funny, because we talked to some of the other bank employees. It seems to us that you worked enough with Thomas to get to know him. In fact, it seems to be the general consensus of the bank that you weren't exactly fond of the hare," Judy pressed. "I know I wouldn't be happy if I was fired unjustly."

The bobcat tilted his head, reading the cops as best he could. "I agree. And I was definitely mad when I was fired. Anyone would be, as I wasn't fired for being a bad worker but because of his own poor scheduling. I talked to him multiple times about the fact that I just needed an extra 15 minutes to get to the bank from school to be on time, but there was never any flexibility. But what does my being fired have anything to do with a serial killer murdering him?"

"Well you know how it is - even when we’re certain we already know the guy was a victim to a serial killer, we have to go follow up a bunch of loose ends. ‘Proper procedure’ and all that,” Nick said in an apologetic tone. He flashed Jake with a friendly smile that was at odds with the steely gaze he fixed on the bobcat. “Just to make sure I understand, you were fired but you never retaliated against Thomas in anyway?". The fox's eyes scanned across the young Bobcats features, reading the subtle flicks of his ears and twitches in his eye with a finesse honed from years of reading people on the streets. 

"No, I never retaliated for being fired. I'm a full time college student, and I needed to find another job. I wouldn't have had the time to retaliate. If it wasn't your killer that killed Thomas though, whoever did is smart to try and stage it as such. Now if there's nothing else, I have to start getting ready for my current job. Hope your hunt goes well," he replied, his eyes flickering dangerously. 

"Oh of course, thank you for your time,” Judy nodded and started to turn to leave. She then stopped and whirled back as though something had just occurred to her. “Just one more thing, real quick. I grew up here in Bunnyburrow, and I was just wondering if you knew if the college bookstore still sold those lanyards? I'm thinking of getting one, that way I can represent my alma mater and hometown when I'm back in the big city." 

Judy’s stance was relaxed and her smile held no trace of any suspicion or hostility. Peter saw Nick turn slightly to hide a smirk and heard him whisper, “Perfect, Carrots.”

"Of course they do. In fact, I’ve got one right here!” " the bobcat grinned, pulling out a lanyard from his back pocket, his keys attached at the end. “I'd be a terrible student if I didn't support my school!” Judy took the lanyard, looking it over, the buckle was perfectly intact,not a repair stitch to be found. 

“Oh that’s exactly what I’m looking for ... and this one’s in great condition,” she noted conversationally as she handed the lanyard back.

"Thank you officer. I take real good care of my stuff. I'm sure the college store would be happy to sell ya one. You should definitely check it out.”

“I’ll make a point of it,” Judy said calmly. “Thanks Jake, I think that’s everything we needed to see.”

“Have a good day officers," Jakereplied, closing the door walking back inside. 

Judy turned around, her feigned smile dropping from her face like a ton of bricks."Brazen little punk. "

"That was bold of him. He's practically taunting us," Nick said in agreement. 

“Wait a second,” Peter said as he stopped dead in his tracks. “Did you just Columbat him?”

Judy grinned sheepishly. “Maybe?”

“Oh don’t be modest Carrots - that was a masterful performance. It’s one of the oldest conning tricks - if you act like a moron, people assume you are one,” Nick explained as they walked back to the truck. He suddenly stopped and looked around. Something was trying to connect in his brain, something he was seeing was giving him an idea. His ears suddenly shot up, and he raised his eyebrows, the connection finally clicking.. "Do you guys realize what tomorrow is?" 

Peter stopped, staring at the fox. "Its Friday?" 

"Yes, which for this street," he started, pointing at the trash cans lined up along the curb, "means it's trash day. Wanna bet the other end of that lanyard is buried somewhere in that trash?" 

"And since it's now on the public street, anything in that trash can will be considered abandoned property and we can legally search it!" Judy said. "We should do it at night though, give us a chance to search it without his knowledge. If we find it, it'll be just enough for a warrant and we can search his house for the knife and gun!" 

"Bingo Carrots. Bingo," Nick replied with a grin. "I'm thinking we come back later tonight and just take the trash cans with us back down the road to the highway. It'll give us some privacy to search the trash cans, but keep us close enough to return the cans without having to drive too far."

"Nick that's freaking brilliant," Judy said with a chuckle. "However, as convinced as I am that this guy is it, we still have a lead completely untouched. Let's not forget that our hare was having an affair."

Peter nodded in agreement, snippets of his training flashing through his head. "That's true, but at this moment we have a heavy amount of evidence that's pointing us in a specific direction, so wouldn't it be more beneficial to focus on this lead until we have a definitive answer about it?" 

"Typically yes, but we do have a good six hours or so to waste until we can come back. Why not use it productively and see what we can find out about this affair?" Judy replied. 

"And if we find something of use there, then so be it. Either way, by sunrise, I'm confident that we'll have our guy in cuffs and can enjoy the weekend here in the Burrows."


End file.
